man on the street

American  

noun

1. man in the street.

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Example Sentences

Peppered in with seemingly incongruous pivots from Dave Matthews Band to electro-leaning experimentalist Yves Tumor, which worked surprisingly well, were “man on the street” clips of purported locals waxing about Seattle/Northwest culture.

From Seattle Times

“He connected equally with both the powerful and the man on the street. Strangers would open up to him and he loved nothing more than to give them a voice. We deeply mourn his loss and are fortunate to have been partners in a career that was truly astounding and a life that emulated the very best of us.”

From Los Angeles Times

In one scene, his protagonist encounters a man on the street at 4 in the morning and returns to his room, where “they undressed by the blue dawn … Alex knew he had never seen a more perfect being … his body was all symmetry and music … and Alex called him Beauty. …”

From New York Times

"They had a network that varied from judges and lawyers, to law enforcement to sheriffs, to the average man on the street who served on the jury. They were the law in this area."

From Salon

Called “man on the street” interviewing in journalistic circles, it is an age-old reporting technique aimed at getting the public’s input on an issue.

From Washington Post