man in the street

noun

the ordinary person; the average citizen:

the political opinions of the man in the street.

Origin

1825-35

British Dictionary definitions for man in the street

man in the street

noun

the typical or ordinary person, esp as a hypothetical unit in statistics

Slang definitions & phrases for man in the street

man on the street

modifier

: and some man-on-the-street TV commercials for post-convention use

noun phrase

The average person; the ordinary person; joe average, john q citizen (1830+)

Idioms and Phrases with man in the street

man in the street

Also, woman in the street. An ordinary, average person, as in It will be interesting to see how the man in the street will answer that question. This expression came into use in the early 1800s when the votes of ordinary citizens began to influence public affairs. Today it is used especially in the news media, where reporters seek out the views of bystanders at noteworthy events, and by pollsters who try to predict the outcome of elections.