rank and file | Idiomator

Meaning: Enlistedsoldiers in amilitaryorganization, as would be arrayed in a grid pattern withranksandfiles.; (idiomatic)Themembersof anorganization,community,etc. who are not inleadershippositions.The executives attend meetings in exotic locations while therank and filestays at headquarters doing the bulk of the work.2013May 23, Sarah Lyall, “British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party”, inThe New York Times‎[1],→ISSN:First, a prominent Tory called the party’srank and file“swivel-eyed loons.”2017November 16,Jo Ellison, “Help: the gym has turned us into slobs”, inFinancial Times‎[2]:Overnight, I have joined therank and fileof gym-bound office employees in their sneakers and suits. You know: the ones who walk around trailing sad little bags containing soggy towels and spare shoes and shampoo.

Examples:

EN: Many of you here tonight knew me... as an SA man... marching in the rank and file... in the first years of the Movement. And Party Comrades, just as I was an SA man then... so I am still an SA man today!
ES: Muchos de los que estáis aquí esta noche me conocisteis como un miliciano marchando en las bases del partido en los primeros años del Movimiento y camaradas del Partido lo mismo que era un miliciano entonces
EN: However, no military organisation can exist when the rank and file takes the law into its own hands.
ES: Sin embargo, ninguna organización militar puede existir cuando la tropa se toma la justicia por su cuenta.
EN: I mean that in the service, one does not address the rank and file as gentlemen.
ES: Quiero decir que no es reglamentario llamarles "caballeros" sin tener graduación.
EN: Well, er, let's court-martial the ringleader first, and deal with the rank and file later.
ES: Cojamos al cabecilla primero y nos encargamos de la tropa luego.
EN: What would the rank and file think?
ES: A causa de los subalternos.
EN: The rank and file are required to be heroic.
ES: A los soldados rasos se les requiere que sena heroicos.
EN: We're really going down the tube, now the rank and file is dictating policy.
ES: Volvamos al trabajo, no quiero saber nada más.
EN: You'd be lost without the rank and file!
ES: ¿Qué sería de ustedes sin mí?
EN: After you left, the rank and file acted like they'd lost their bearings, and others started stirring up trouble
ES: Después de que te marcharas, los miembros actuaban desorientados, como perdidos, y otros comenzaron a causar problemas.
EN: The rank and file of each family pulsed with renewed life, just as Hirono and his cohorts had in an earlierday.
ES: Las corazones de los soldados de cada familia latían con renovadas energías, justo como los de Hirono y sus seguidores... en sus primeros días del mercado negro.
EN: SEPTEMBER 17, 1963 YASUKI FUKUDAOF UCHIMOTO FAMILY DIED With this killing as the trigger, the rank and file ofboth camps set all hesitation aside and exploded in open warfare like a dam bursting.
ES: 17 de Septiembre de 1963 YASUKI FUKUDA, DE LA FAMILIA UCHIMOTO, ASESINADO Con este asesinato como percutor, las tropas de cada bando abandonaron toda duda... y estallaron en una guerra abierta como al romperse una presa.
EN: He settles down in sleepy Korsbæk, which has been dominated by old families and provincial rank and file.
ES: Evidentemente, no podemos. - ¿Por qué me está enseñando esto? - Ha facilitado el virus.
EN: Your understanding of democracy ought to be, especially if you experienced the Third Reich, as you in fact did... Then you ought to say, "The rank and file individuals..."
ES: Tu comprensión de la democracia debería ser entonces, que tú, precisamente tú, que has vivido el Tercer Reich como lo has vivido, tú deberías decir:
EN: Well, I think it's a sad day for the labour movement of this country when any union has to resort to force to deal with its own rank and file.
ES: Es un día triste para el movimiento sindical de este país cuando un sindicato recurre a la fuerza para ocuparse de sus bases.
EN: - Well, I don't know, Johnny. Maybe not with the rank and file.
ES: No lo sé, Johnny, considerando sus antecedentes.

Note: the examples for non latin scripts have a high likelihood of mistakes, we do not own any of this data and it is sourced from Wiktionary, the NLLB database and Opensubtitles. Please help us improve this by contributing correct examples. We will be working to fix this issue over time however it is a bigger issue due to the the difficulties in dealing with non latin scripts and grammatical structures(non-romantic/european languages have lower resources as well ).