enemy of mankind—(euph.) the devil:
- The ancient enemy of mankind knows us very well. He knows that “lesser evils” are far more productive for his cosmic agenda…
enemy of the people—a common indictment in communist countries against a political opponent:
- Being a friend of an enemy of the people automatically placed the person under suspicion.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase public enemy—a person regarded as a great threat to a community:
- A stake was driven into the ground before his door, as a token that he was a public enemy.