The Great Thing About Being 'Unwashed'

The other day I used to the term "the great unwashed" in a blog post. I didn't really think about it -- didn't consider where I'd learned the term or how it got into my lexicon.

Well, last night the answer found me. And, wouldn't you know, I learned the term not from academic journals or Shakespeare's plays or any other source that would make me look good.

Here it is in the context from which I must have learned it:

Mr. Burns (to Smithers): "Just give the great unwashed a pair of oversized breasts and a happy ending, and they'll 'oink' for more every time."

Still, it proved to be a useful term, even if I didn't learn it in the most prestigious way. In fact, I guess you could say I pulled a Homer.