common touch

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Noun

common touch (plural common touches)

1. (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.
   • 1895, Rudyard Kipling, If—:

     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

   • 1986 February 17, John Moody, “Nigeria Striking a Delicate Balance”, in Time, retrieved 16 October 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.

   • 1996 May 4, Eric Schmitt, “New Top Admiral to Push Wider Combat Role for Women”, in New York Times, retrieved 16 October 2013:

     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.

   • 2013 September 25, Jeff Jacoby, “Pope’s interview is fodder for the culture war”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 16 October 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.

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: tietämys kansan oloista, tietämys rahvaan oloista
• Polish: wyrozumiałość (pl) f

See also

• man of the people
• just folks
• unpretentiousness

References

• “common touch”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.