man on the Clapham omnibus

English

Etymology

First put to legal use in a reported judgement by Sir Richard Henn Collins MR in the 1903 English Court of Appeal libel case, McQuire v. Western Morning News, who attributed it to Lord Bowen.

Noun

man on the Clapham omnibus (plural (rare) men on the Clapham omnibus)

  1. (UK, law) Any hypothetical reasonable person used by the Courts in considering questions of reasonableness; an everyman.
    Coordinate terms: moron in a hurry; person having ordinary skill in the art
    Near-synonyms: man on the Bondi tram, man on the Shau Kei Wan tram, reasonable person
  2. (UK, by extension) Any ordinary person; everyman.
    Synonym: man on the street
    Coordinate terms: woman on the street, Mrs Miggins
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