# Origin of "Great Unwashed Masses" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-great-unwashed-masses/114955 "2002-06-19T20:53:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-great-unwashed-masses/114955/1 "2002-06-19T20:53:08Z")
Good Lord but I’m having a dickens of a time finding the origin of this phrase. Any help guys? Thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-great-unwashed-masses/114955/2 "2002-06-19T21:14:48Z")
According to [Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable](http://www.bartleby.com/81/7549.html): > [@](#): > > Burke first used the compound, but Sir Walter Scott popularised it. I assume the reference is to Edmund Burke. The term was originally just “the great unwashed” (sometimes capitalized). ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-great-unwashed-masses/114955/3 "2002-06-19T21:37:15Z")
Strange that this is the $7 question on the new [answers.google.com](http://answers.google.com) site. See: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=121310](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=121310) ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-great-unwashed-masses/114955/4 "2002-06-19T21:59:09Z")
The concept was around far longer than the actual term. Our pal Shake definitely comes close at one point, in [_Julius Caesar_](http://www.gh.cs.usyd.edu.au/~matty/Shakespeare/texts/tragedies/juliuscaesar.html): > [@](#): > > CASCA: And then he offered it the third > time; he put it the third time by: and still as he > refused it, the rabblement hooted and clapped their > chapped hands and threw up their sweaty night-caps > and uttered such a deal of stinking breath because > Caesar refused the crown that it had almost choked > Caesar; for he swounded and fell down at it: and > for mine own part, I durst not laugh, for fear of > opening my lips and receiving the bad air. Power to the people! ---
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-great-unwashed-masses/114955/5 "2002-06-19T22:32:00Z")
SHUSH on the Google Answer thing… I’m lookin’ for the 7 buckolas! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-great-unwashed-masses/114955/6 "2002-06-20T01:42:17Z")
Off I go to offer untold riches for “the whole nine yards”😃 ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-great-unwashed-masses/114955/7 "2002-06-20T07:03:42Z")
Ever smell any large crowd of people?