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HOI POLLOI |
Hoi polloi is Greek for “the common people,” but it is often misused to
mean “the upper class” (does “hoi” make speakers think of “high” or
“hoity-toity”?). Some urge that since “hoi” is the article “the hoi
polloi” is redundant, but the general rule is that articles such as
“the” and “a” in foreign language phrases cease to function as such in
place names, brands, and catch phrases except for some of the most
familiar ones in French and Spanish, where everyone recognizes “la”—for
instance—as meaning “the.” “The El Nino” is redundant, but “the hoi
polloi” is standard English.
