The man on the Clapham omnibus

Audiendus
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The man on the Clapham omnibus

Postby Audiendus » Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:06 am

A recent visit to the London suburb of Clapham reminded me of this quaint British phrase. Originally a legal expression originating in the 19th century, it means 'an ordinary, reasonable person'. It is now mostly used humorously as a mock archaism. It is probably the only context in which 'omnibus' is still used in the sense of 'bus'.

I wonder if there are any equivalent expressions used elsewhere.

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Slava
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Re: The man on the Clapham omnibus

Postby Slava » Wed Oct 25, 2017 5:02 pm

Does "see how it flies in Peoria" work?

I guess "man on the corner" is too non-specific.
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Audiendus
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Re: The man on the Clapham omnibus

Postby Audiendus » Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:27 am

Does "see how it flies in Peoria" work?
Yes, that seems to be a similar idea.

A rather different kind of character is Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells.

brogine
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Re: The man on the Clapham omnibus

Postby brogine » Tue Jan 23, 2018 7:55 pm

Another interesting Britishism is 'going Bodmin' - losing one's marbles. Oh, and I love 'how's your father'.

Perry Lassiter
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Re: The man on the Clapham omnibus

Postby Perry Lassiter » Sat Feb 03, 2018 11:20 pm

Man on the street...
Flyover country (outside the DC Beltway, Midwest)
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