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