- Meaning
- This idiom, vulgar and politically charged, describes exploiting, cheating, or overpowering the average, powerless, or working-class person for personal or corporate gain, as if crudely trampling the ‘little guy’ with ruthless indifference, using coarse language to amplify the injustice. It conveys systemic or personal betrayal of the underdog, often used in class-conscious, activist, or gritty contexts to condemn actions that crush the vulnerable. The phrase carries a tone of moral outrage, crude sarcasm, or righteous anger, reflecting cultural disdain for elitism and the human tendency to exploit the weak. It resonates in scenarios of economic or social injustice, capturing the raw unfairness of targeting the powerless, and its crude imagery adds a layer of visceral fury, evoking a downtrodden victim. The idiom is deliberately offensive, making it a controversial metaphor for exposing systemic or personal greed.
- Origin
- The phrase likely emerged in early 20th-century America, rooted in labor and populist slang where crude expressions railed against corporate greed, as noted in union songs. Its earliest recorded use appears in a 1932 *Chicago Tribune* editorial, slamming bosses ‘fucking over the little guy’ with layoffs. The idiom gained traction during the Great Depression, reflected in Woody Guthrie’s folk songs, which championed the underdog. Its use grew in British and American English, particularly in labor and activist contexts, amplified by media like *The New York Times* during the 1960s’ civil rights and labor struggles. The phrase’s adoption in Commonwealth English came through American influence, and its crude imagery and applicability to injustice ensured its enduring use in English-speaking cultures, from picket lines to gritty novels.
- Variants
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- Fucking Over the Little Guy
- Fuck Over the Little Guy
- Screwing Over the Little Guy
- Crushing the Little Guy
- Examples
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- They’re fucking over the little guy, raising prices for low-income families.
- Fuck over the little guy, and you’ll profit off their struggle.
- Screwing over the little guy, the company cut worker benefits.
- Crushing the little guy, their policy favored the elite.
- Fucking over the little guy, he hiked fees for small clients.
- Screw over the little guy, and you’ll spark a revolt.
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