lower orders

lower orders

1. (UK, dated, derogatory) The lower classes in society.
   • 1957 September, M. D. Greville and G. O. Holt, “Railway Development in Manchester—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 618:

     Although the extension to Crewe carried the line much nearer to the town, it was decided to retain this station, and a large enclosure there was roofed over to accommodate third class passengers (the M.B.R. was more generous than most railways in its treatment of what were then known as the "lower orders").

• lower order

• “lower orders”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “the lower orders” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
• “the lower orders” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “lower orders”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.