boys on the bus, the—(U.S. coll.) members of the press who travel with campaigning politicians (also: boys and girls on the bus, the):
- Columnist Jules Witcover, one of “the boys on the bus” concluded that the candidates’ entourage was about the last place to be these days.
man on the bus, the—the ordinary person of either sex; “the man in the street”:
- The complex matters involve concepts such as illiquid investments … none of which will mean much to the man on the bus who may be, with reason, worrying about his pension.
Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase man on the Clapham omnibus, the—(UK)
1. = man on the bus, the:
- If you ask the man on the Clapham omnibus he will typically think that things are getting better.
2. (Law) a legal term for a “normal,” reasonably educated person:
- If the average person, or as legally defined “the man on the Clapham omnibus,” would find something unreasonable, a court may be satisfied…
See also: bus boy / busman.