"the onus is on..." Style and popularity?

[Torsten]

Hi, to me the phrase 'the onus is on us to....' sounds very good and I like it. My question is how many people would use this phrase and how would describe the register of it? I mean, it's rather high-level, business style, isn't it?

Thanks,
Torsten
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Yankee]

Hi Torsten

You're right. The word "onus" is not a terribly "low level" or "everyday" word. It would most likely be used in some kind of a professional or business context. I imagine that lawyers are also fond of this word. And I think you'll also find the word onus used in the news.

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Mister Micawber]

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Ms Google says: 4,100,000 English pages for 'the onus is on them'; 4,070,000 English pages for 'the onus is on us'.

We've always used the phrase in my family-- I learnt it from me paw. I think you'll find the set phrase more common than the single word onus.
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Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber

[Torsten]

Hi Charles, thanks for that. Could you please explain why you think Google is female ?
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Yankee]

Hi Mr. M

Yes, Google does find a lot of instances of "the onus is on", including, for example, this sentence:
"The onus is on the people who want to believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster to find evidence that [He] is there."

Nevertheless, I still feel this expression is not terribly "low level". But also that it's not exclusive to business.

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Guest]

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