the man

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English

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Etymology

Originally from US English.

Pronunciation

Noun

the man (singular only)

  1. The oppressive powers that be, including the government and corporations; the system, as coordinated outside of one’s control.
    The man gets you down.
    I'm sorry I couldn’t meet you earlier, but I spent all night working for the man.
    • 1966 December, Stephen Stills, “For What It's Worth”‎performed by Buffalo Springfield:
      It starts when you're always afraid / Step out of line, the man come and take you away
    • 1968, Nathan C. Heard, Howard Street, New York: The New American Library, pages 22–23:
      “Bitch, shut up that noise!” Cowboy hissed hotly from somewhere in the darkness ahead of her. “You wanna bring the man down on me or somethin’? […] ”
    • 1969, John Fogerty (lyrics and music), “Proud Mary”, in Bayou Country, performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival:
      Left a good job in the city / Workin' for the man every night and day
    • 1996, “Hooker with a Penis”, performed by Tool:
      And in between sips of Coke / He told me that he thought we were sellin' out / Layin' down, suckin' up to the man / Well now I've got some / Advice for you, little buddy / Before you point the finger / You should know that I'm the man / I'm the man and you're the man / And he's the man as well
    • 2023 September 5, Arwa Mahdawi, “Why all the Burning Man schadenfreude? Where do I start ...”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:
      […] once people such as Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk show up to your party, there is no longer anything countercultural about it. You are not rebelling against the man. You are the man.
  2. An oppressive or domineering person of authority, usually male; especially, one's boss.
    Near-synonym: old man
  3. The best man for a job; someone with exceptional skills.
    You’re the man!
    • 1989, Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing:
      Buggin' Out: You the man.
      Mookie: No, you the man.
      Buggin' Out: No, I'm just a struggling Black man trying to keep my dick hard in a cruel and harsh world.
    • 2004 January 31, George Kimball, “Super Bowl XXXVIII: Rags-to-riches story for Carolina Panthers quarter-back Delhomme”, in The Guardian‎:
      [Jake Delhomme] has been “The Man” ever since, leading the Panthers to a remarkable eight come-from-behind wins in what Fox describes as Carolina's “outhouse-to-penthouse” season.

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