join the great majority

join the great majority

1. To have or adopt the same opinion or position as most other people, groups, or things. Usually followed by "of" and then the group being specified. Ours is the only nation that has yet to join the great majority of developed countries standing in solidarity on the issue of climate change.

2. A humorous euphemism for death. I'll be playing a gig next Saturday, assuming of course I don't join the great majority between now and then. A: "I heard you were back in Cleveland last week." B: "Oh yeah, some distant relative joined the great majority. Had to show my face for the funeral."

See also: great, join, majority

join the great majority

die. euphemistic

This expression was first used by the poet Edward Young ( 1683–1765 ): ‘Death joins us to the great majority’. However, the idea of the dead being ‘the majority’ is a very old one; it is found, for example, in the writings of the Roman satirist Petronius as abiit ad plures : ‘he's gone to join the majority’.

See also: great, join, majority