Talk:the man

Any takers? Bad title? Meaning too restricted (you're the man!) ? SemperBlotto 08:32, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

The definition is too restricted, and should mean working for any sort of big impersonal employer, as in "working for the man". In that sense it could be considered wide-spread and has been around for a long time. I think you're the man might deserve its own entry?.--Dmol 08:42, 21 November 2006 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure of that. There is one web site with some rabid fans that persist in reentering YTMND which clearly is not used outside of that context of that one website and some ancillary blogs.  Many would say that it isn't dictionary material even if it were used widely.  The purpose of their reentering it, apparently was promotional.
 * On the other hand, the entry for the man should exist here, perhaps capitalized, as a clearly widespread use to refer to any impersonal government or corporate entity, figuratively.
 * --Connel MacKenzie 17:27, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Agree, the definition is too restricted, but it's used in several phrases. The man gets you down. Clearly widespread? DAVilla 08:56, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Definitely means much more than just the government. In fact, I don't remember hearing it used to mean that specificaly. It's also used as an abbreviation for 'the best man for the job':
 * If you want your widgets fettled, he's the man.

and 'the top man in the field'
 * For black holes, Stephen Hawking's the man.

also, of course 'your man' is used in those instances. Moglex 11:21, 21 November 2006 (UTC)


 * Ah yes. That (separate) meaning is also common.  --Connel MacKenzie 17:27, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

RFV passed for refined def. Clearly widespread use. DAVilla 16:21, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Capitalization
The term is often used as a proper noun and in context, should be capitalized as such. Each first letter gets capitalized. In the first definition, the powers that be, the term is a proper noun, like God or Canada and it should always be capitalized. In the second definition, the man for the job, it should not receive special capitalization despite its very important nature. As in, "You are the man." Here, bold letters or italics suffice, but not capitalization. It may be appropriate to have a seperate article for the first definition where the first letters are capitalized. Heyzeuss 09:39, 20 November 2009 (UTC)


 * We'd need some evidence that it was capitalized in the majority of its uses. DCDuring TALK 00:47, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

completely different usage by P.G.Wodehouse
(I've also just posted this at the Tea Room)

Legendary humorous British writer P.G. Wodehouse (and no doubt others of his era, not necessarily fiction-writers) occasionally used "the man" immediately before a proper name to show that the character in question was an object of suspicion. For example,

"The point I am trying to make," I said, "is that the boy Glossop is the father of the man Glossop. In other words, each loathsome fault and blemish that led the boy Glossop to be frowned upon by his fellows is present in the man Glossop, and causes him--I am speaking now of the man Glossop--to be a hissing and a byword at places hike the Drones, where a certain standard of decency is demanded from the inmates."

There's another instance (I can't remember which of his books at the moment) where the character in question is wanted by the police. I strongly suspect that in those days, "the man Smith" as a phrase would have been used by the police, but unfortunately I don't know of any documentation of this (not having access to such things except what's on the web) so if anyone else is aware of this usage and can help that would be wonderful.--Philologia Sæculārēs (talk) 02:11, 20 September 2017 (UTC)