1
general::
Phrase(s): rank and file
1. Lit. regular soldiers, not the officers. • I think there is low morale among the rank and file, sir. • The rank and file usually do exactly as they are told. 2. Fig. the ordinary members of a group, not the leaders. • The rank and file will vote on the proposed contract tomorrow. • The last contract was turned down by the rank and file last year.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Followers, the general membership, as in This new senator really appeals to the rank and file in the labor unions. This expression comes from the military, where a rank denotes soldiers standing side by side in a row, and file refers to soldiers standing behind one another. The first recorded figurative use of this term was in 1860.
American Heritage Idioms