The Man in Black
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A well-known character in Goldsmith's Citizen of the World1, supposed to have been drawn from the author's father.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Man in Black” mean?
A well-known character in Goldsmith's Citizen of the World1, supposed to have been drawn from the author's father.
Is “The Man in Black” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.