Mean street, mean city?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> “<span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="street">street</span>”, “<span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="city">city</span>” <span word="in">in</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="sentence">sentence</span>: “<span word="On">On</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="street">street</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="city">city</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="thief">thief</span> <span word="tries">tries</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="snatch">snatch</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="woman">woman</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="bag">bag</span>.”</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="This">This</span> <span word="reads">reads</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="scene">scene</span> <span word="straight">straight</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="Oliver">Oliver</span> <span word="Twist">Twist</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="novel">novel</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="Charles">Charles</span> <span word="Dickens">Dickens</span>.</p><p><span word="On">On</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="street">street</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="live">live</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="poor">poor</span> <span word="people">people</span>. <span word="Crimes">Crimes</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="rife">rife</span> <span word="there">there</span>, <span word="too">too</span>.</p><p><span word="Anyways">Anyways</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="adjective">adjective</span>, “<span word="a">a</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="street">street</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="city">city</span>” <span word="means">means</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="poor">poor</span> <span word="street">street</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="poverty">poverty</span> <span word="stricken">stricken</span> <span word="city">city</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="question">question</span> <span word="is">is</span>, <span word="why">why</span>?</p><p><span word="I">I</span>’<span word="m">m</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="sure">sure</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="partial">partial</span> <span word="root">root</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="word">word</span> “<span word="mean">mean</span>” <span word="as">as</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="adjective">adjective</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="Middle">Middle</span> <span word="English">English</span> <span word="mene">mene</span>, <span word="meaning">meaning</span> <span word="common">common</span>, <span word="shared">shared</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="Latin">Latin</span> <span word="medianus">medianus</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="median">median</span>, <span word="meaning">meaning</span> <span word="middle">middle</span>, <span word="according">according</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="Merriam">Merriam</span>-<span word="Webster">Webster</span>.<span word="com">com</span>.</p><p><span word="Perhaps">Perhaps</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="these">these</span> <span word="clues">clues</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="sense">sense</span> <span word="of">of</span> “<span word="mean">mean</span>” <span word="as">as</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="adjective">adjective</span> <span word="in">in</span> “<span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="street">street</span>”. <span word="It">It</span> <span word="offers">offers</span> <span word="connotations">connotations</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="common">common</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="average">average</span>, <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="middle">middle</span>. <span word="If">If</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="known">known</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="the">the</span> “<span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="income">income</span>”, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="instance">instance</span>, <span word="you">you</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="average">average</span> <span word="income">income</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="your">your</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="country">country</span>. <span word="The">The</span> “<span word="golden">golden</span> <span word="mean">mean</span>” <span word="means">means</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="golden">golden</span> <span word="middle">middle</span> <span word="way">way</span>, <span word="never">never</span> <span word="going">going</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="extremes">extremes</span>.</p><p><span word="If">If</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="income">income</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="average">average</span> <span word="income">income</span>, <span word="how">how</span> <span word="come">come</span> “<span word="mean">mean</span>” <span word="in">in</span> “<span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="city">city</span>” <span word="means">means</span> <span word="poor">poor</span>?</p><p><span word="Originally">Originally</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="streets">streets</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="cities">cities</span> <span word="must">must</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="streets">streets</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="cities">cities</span> <span word="where">where</span> <span word="common">common</span> <span word="folks">folks</span> <span word="congregate">congregate</span>. <span word="They">They</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="masses">masses</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="comparison">comparison</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="elite">elite</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="upper">upper</span> <span word="classes">classes</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="aristocrats">aristocrats</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="rich">rich</span> <span word="merchants">merchants</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="common">common</span> <span word="folk">folk</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="poor">poor</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="sure">sure</span>. <span word="Some">Some</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="jobless">jobless</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="member">member</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="working">working</span> <span word="class">class</span>, <span word="holding">holding</span> <span word="jobs">jobs</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="leading">leading</span> <span word="decent">decent</span> <span word="lives">lives</span>. <span word="At">At</span> <span word="least">least</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="hopes">hopes</span> <span word="so">so</span>.</p>
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