The man on the Clapham omnibus

The man on the Clapham omnibus

The man on the Clapham omnibus is a reasonably educated and intelligent but non-specialist person — a reasonable person, a hypothetical person against whom a defendant's conduct might be judged in an English law civil action for negligence. This is the standard of care comparable to that which might be exercised by "the man on the Clapham omnibus" mentioned by Greer LJ in Hall v. Brooklands Auto-Racing Club (1933) 1 KB 205.

The phrase was first put to legal use in a reported judgment by Sir Richard Henn Collins MR in the 1903 English Court of Appeal libel case, McQuire v. Western Morning News.[1] He attributed it to Lord Bowen, said to have coined it as junior counsel defending the Tichborne Claimant case in 1871. Brewer's also lists this as a possible first use.[2]

It is possibly derived from the phrase "Public opinion ... is the opinion of the bald-headed man at the back of the omnibus,"[3] coined by the 19th century journalist Walter Bagehot to describe the normal man of London. Clapham in south London at the time was a nondescript commuter suburb seen to represent "ordinary" London. Omnibus is now rather an archaic expression for a public bus, but was in common use by the judiciary at the beginning of the 20th century.

The expression has also been incorporated in Canadian patent jurisprudence, notably Beloit v. Valmet Oy (1986), C.P.R. (3d) 289[4] in its discussion regarding the test for obviousness.

In Australia, the "Clapham omnibus" expression has inspired the New South Wales and Victorian equivalents, "the man on the Bondi tram".[5] and "the man on the Bourke Street tram".[6]

In Hong Kong, the equivalent expression is "the man on the Shaukiwan Tram."[7]

References

  1. ^ [1903] 2 KB 100 (CA) at 109 per Collins MR
  2. ^ Room, Richard, ed (1996). Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (15th edition ed.). Cassell. p. 761. ISBN 0-304-34894-4. 
  3. ^ Bagehot, Walter (1867, 1894). "The English Constitution". http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/4351. 
  4. ^ Richard, Hughes G. (1989). "The Beloit-Valmet saga continues". Leger Robic Richard / Robic. http://www.robic.ca/publications/Pdf/142.009.pdf. Retrieved 14 July 2010. 
  5. ^ Asprey, Michèle M. (2003, revised 2010). Plain Language for Lawyers. Federation Press. p. 119. ISBN 978-1862877757. 
  6. ^ "Re Sortirios Pandos and Commonwealth of Australia [1991 AATA 18 (25 January 1991)"]. http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/AATA/1991/18.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=%22clapham%20omnibus%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%22. 
  7. ^ "Ng Chiu Mui v Securities and Futures Commission Application No 7 of 2007 (15 May 2009". http://www.sfat.gov.hk/english/determination/AN-7_and_8_and_9-2007-Determination.pdf. 

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  • (the) man on the Clapham omnibus — the man/woman on the Clapham omnibus British an imaginary person whose opinions and behaviour are thought to be typical of ordinary British people. The man on the Clapham omnibus probably knows nothing about Rwanda. (usually singular) …   New idioms dictionary

  • (the) woman on the Clapham omnibus — the man/woman on the Clapham omnibus British an imaginary person whose opinions and behaviour are thought to be typical of ordinary British people. The man on the Clapham omnibus probably knows nothing about Rwanda. (usually singular) …   New idioms dictionary

  • man on the clapham omnibus — (UK) The man on the Clapham omnibus is the ordinary person in the street …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • the man on the Clapham omnibus — ➡ Clapham omnibus * * * …   Universalium

  • man on the Clapham omnibus — (UK)    The man on the Clapham omnibus is the ordinary person in the street.   (Dorking School Dictionary) …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • the man on the Clapham omnibus — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Clapham omnibus — (BrE) a phrase like the man in the street, which means the average ordinary English person (of either sex). The phrase has been in use since the 1890s when the word ‘bus’ was already replacing ‘omnibus’. The choice of the bus from Clapham, an… …   Universalium

  • Clapham omnibus —   (UK)   The man on the Clapham omnibus is the ordinary man in the street …   Dictionary of English idioms

  • man on the Clapham omnibus — noun Any ordinary person; everyman …   Wiktionary

  • man on the Clapham omnibus — …   Useful english dictionary

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