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The man on the Clapham omnibus

Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:06 am
by Audiendus
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.

Re: The man on the Clapham omnibus

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 5:02 pm
by Slava
Does "see how it flies in Peoria" work?

I guess "man on the corner" is too non-specific.

Re: The man on the Clapham omnibus

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:27 am
by Audiendus
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.

Re: The man on the Clapham omnibus

Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 7:55 pm
by brogine
Another interesting Britishism is 'going Bodmin' - losing one's marbles. Oh, and I love 'how's your father'.

Re: The man on the Clapham omnibus

Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 11:20 pm
by Perry Lassiter
Man on the street...
Flyover country (outside the DC Beltway, Midwest)
John Doe