Hoi polloi

//ˈhɔɪ pəˌlɔɪ// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The common people; the masses. (Used with or without the definite article.) collective, plural, plural-only

    "The clientele is a select species of hoi polloi, intermixed with writers, painters and politicos and the more sophisticated American tourists."

  2. 2
    the common people generally wordnet
  3. 3
    The elite. nonstandard, plural, plural-only

    "Our moral standards sway Like Mrs. Tanqueray, And we are theoretically Most aesthetically Eager to display The fact that we're aggressively And excessively Anxious to destroy All the snobbery And hob-nobbery Of the hoi-polloi."

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek οἱ πολλοί (hoi polloí, “the many”).

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