common touch en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic) The personal quality of showing understanding of and sympathy for the concerns of ordinary people; rapport with and acceptance by ordinary people, usually in a celebrity or leader.
The admiral is the first enlisted man to lead the Navy, and Navy aides are busy cultivating his image as a four-star officer with a common touch.
1996 May 4, Eric Schmitt, “New Top Admiral to Push Wider Combat Role for Women”, in New York Times, retrieved 16 Oct 2013:From the first moments of his papacy it has been evident that Francis is a “people person,” with a gentle common touch and a gift for pastoral outreach.
2013 September 25, Jeff Jacoby, “Pope’s interview is fodder for the culture war”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 16 Oct 2013:The crowd roared its approval and gave a standing ovation to the new President of Africa's most populous nation. That common touch has served Babangida well.
1986 February 17, John Moody, “Nigeria Striking a Delicate Balance”, in Time, retrieved 16 Oct 2013:If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch; . . . Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it
1895, Rudyard Kipling, If—:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| common touches | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
just folks · unpretentiousness · man of the people
Translations (3)
fi tietämys rahvaan oloista (Translations) · fi tietämys kansan oloista (Translations) · pl wyrozumiałość (Translations)