Hoi Polloi

Pronounced hoi puh-loi.  Hoi Polloi is a noun (Greek origin - 1825) that means the masses or common people.  Hoi means “the” and Polloi means “masses” in Greek.  It is often incorrectly used today to refer to the upper class or the elite, perhaps confusing the word with hoity-toity.  The term was used disparagingly by the wealthy about the lower class or commoners.  In a sentence: 

The young movie star had a private jet to avoid traveling with hoi polloi.

      

In 1935 the Three Stooges made a short film called Hoi Polloi. You remember the Three Stooges, don’t you?  The movie is about a professor who bets that he can turn the three stooges into gentlemen. After teaching them etiquette, the professor brings them to a fancy society party and well, you can  probably guess how that turns out.   

"The exchange of roles in "The Prince and the Pauper" suggests that a man of the people can be a benevolent ruler because of his humble roots, that a prince can become a better ruler through exposure to hoi polloi."

-- Michiko Kakutani, "In Classic Children's Books, Is a Witch Ever Just a Witch?", New York Times, December 22, 1992

If you want to learn more about how hoi polloi has been used in the 21st century you can check out this link at Wikipdia: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoi_polloi#Appearances_in_the_twenty-first_century