Hoi polloi: Difference between revisions
m →Other Uses: article |
Added info about usage in Dead Poets Society |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
Since the [[1950]]'s the phrase is often misused to refer to the [[upper class]], which is the opposite of its actual meaning. {{ref|RH01}} |
Since the [[1950]]'s the phrase is often misused to refer to the [[upper class]], which is the opposite of its actual meaning. {{ref|RH01}} |
||
==Appearance in [[film]]== |
|||
The term "Hoi Polloi" was used in a dramatic scene in the movie [[Dead Poets Society]]. In this scene, Professor Keating speaks negatively about the use of the article "the" in front of the phrase: |
|||
<blockquote>Keating: This is battle, boys. War! You are souls at a critical juncture. Either you will succumb to the will of hoi polloi and the fruit will die on the vine--or you will triumph as individuals. It may be a coincidence that part of my duties are to teach you about Romanticism, but let me assure you that I take the task quite seriously. You will learn what this school wants you to learn in my class, but if I do my job properly, you will also learn a great deal more. You will learn to savor language and words because they are the stepping stones to everything you might endeavor to do in life and do well. A moment ago I used the term 'hoi polloi.' Who knows what it means? Come on, Overstreet, you twirp. (laughter) Anderson, are you a man or a boil? </blockquote> |
|||
<blockquote>Anderson shakes his head "no.', but Meeks raises his hands and speaks: "The hoi polloi. Doesn't it mean the herd?"</blockquote> |
|||
<blockquote>Keating: Precisely, Meeks. Greek for the herd. However, be warned that, when you say "the hoi polloi" you are actually saying the the herd. Indicating that you too are "hoi polloi." {{ref|DPS01}}</blockquote> |
|||
==Other Uses== |
==Other Uses== |
||
| Line 9: | Line 17: | ||
#{{note|AHD01}} [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hoi%20polloi American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition] |
#{{note|AHD01}} [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hoi%20polloi American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition] |
||
#{{note|RH01}} [http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19981113 Random House Word of the Day] |
#{{note|RH01}} [http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19981113 Random House Word of the Day] |
||
#{{note|DPS01}} Schulman, Tom [http://www.ellopos.net/education/writersword_schulman_deadpoetsociety.htm Excerpts from the script] of Dead Poets Society |
|||
#{{note|HPorg01}} [http://www.hoipolloi.org/ Hoi Polloi dance group]. |
#{{note|HPorg01}} [http://www.hoipolloi.org/ Hoi Polloi dance group]. |
||
#{{note|HPbout01}} [http://www.hoipolloiboutique.com/ Hoi Polloi boutique] |
#{{note|HPbout01}} [http://www.hoipolloiboutique.com/ Hoi Polloi boutique] |
||
Revision as of 02:16, 5 November 2005
Hoi polloi (Greek: οι πολλοι), an expression meaning "the many" in Ancient Greek, is used in English to denote "the masses" or "the people," usually in a derogatory sense. Since "hoi" means "the," it might be said that the common usage of the hoi polloi is incorrect. However, this later usage is very well-established and it is often the case that phrases borrowed from other languages become treated as single words in English.[1]
Since the 1950's the phrase is often misused to refer to the upper class, which is the opposite of its actual meaning. [2]
Appearance in film
The term "Hoi Polloi" was used in a dramatic scene in the movie Dead Poets Society. In this scene, Professor Keating speaks negatively about the use of the article "the" in front of the phrase:
Keating: This is battle, boys. War! You are souls at a critical juncture. Either you will succumb to the will of hoi polloi and the fruit will die on the vine--or you will triumph as individuals. It may be a coincidence that part of my duties are to teach you about Romanticism, but let me assure you that I take the task quite seriously. You will learn what this school wants you to learn in my class, but if I do my job properly, you will also learn a great deal more. You will learn to savor language and words because they are the stepping stones to everything you might endeavor to do in life and do well. A moment ago I used the term 'hoi polloi.' Who knows what it means? Come on, Overstreet, you twirp. (laughter) Anderson, are you a man or a boil?
Anderson shakes his head "no.', but Meeks raises his hands and speaks: "The hoi polloi. Doesn't it mean the herd?"
Keating: Precisely, Meeks. Greek for the herd. However, be warned that, when you say "the hoi polloi" you are actually saying the the herd. Indicating that you too are "hoi polloi." [3]
Other Uses
- Hoi Polloi is also also the name of many business, including a dance group based in Boston, Massachusetts[4], a woman's boutique in New Orleans, Louisiana[5], and a film crew in the United Kingdom[6]
Notes
- ^ American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- ^ Random House Word of the Day
- ^ Schulman, Tom Excerpts from the script of Dead Poets Society
- ^ Hoi Polloi dance group.
- ^ Hoi Polloi boutique
- ^ Hoi Polloi film crew
 | This vocabulary-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |