mob

heavy mob

A large group of people, especially one inclined toward violence or unrest. As the demonstration began, a heavy mob of masked men fell upon us and began assaulting anyone carrying a protest sign.
See also: heavy, mob
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

the ˈheavy mob/brigade

(British English, informal) a group of strong, often violent people employed to do something such as protect somebody: I had to laugh when he turned up at the meeting with his heavy mob, as if he was a mafia boss or something.
See also: brigade, heavy, mob
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

mob

(mɑb)
n. the crime syndicate. (Underworld and journalistic.) One of the biggest fish in the mob was pulled from the river yesterday.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • heavy mob
  • stampede out
  • spring out
  • spring out of
  • bear in with (something)
  • go full circle
  • gee
  • gee up
  • descend upon (something)
  • crowd through
References in classic literature
Not only did his reason not reproach him for what he had done, but he even found cause for self-satisfaction in having so successfully contrived to avail himself of a convenient opportunity to punish a criminal and at the same time pacify the mob.
I could not let him go unpunished and so I have killed two birds with one stone: to appease the mob I gave them a victim and at the same time punished a miscreant."
But after a very few sentences of figurative eloquence, the pink-faced gentleman got from denouncing those who interrupted him in the mob, to exchanging defiances with the gentlemen on the hustings; whereupon arose an uproar which reduced him to the necessity of expressing his feelings by serious pantomime, which he did, and then left the stage to his seconder, who delivered a written speech of half an hour's length, and wouldn't be stopped, because he had sent it all to the Eatanswill GAZETTE, and the Eatanswill GAZETTE had already printed it, every word.
The mob vanished in an instant; and after them plunged the horsemen, laying about them with their whips and pitilessly riding down such as were witless enough to keep the road instead of taking to the bush.
The mob had broken through on one side the line of waggons, and was advancing, each segregated policeman the centre of a fighting group.
The mob had done its work and was scattering, and Catherine Van Vorst, still watching, could see the man she had known as Freddie Drummond.
The incident took place near the Sadar police station and the victim was saved from the mob by the police personnel.
Kathy's husband Kevin wants out of the mob, Ruby's husband Kevin will inherit the mob business from his mother Helen, who currently runs the mob, and Claire is married to Rob, an abusive and violent man.
Make no mistake about it, it was a war targeting the insidious nature of the mob and their detrimental effect on Rhode Island and throughout New England.
Patna: The state government in Bihar headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has initiated measures to check frequent cases of mob lynchings.
But as slowly and steadily mob rule spreads in the country, it will soon move from lynching of minorities, thrashing of policemen, like what happened to a woman constable yesterday, to, when the voice of the mob will even overrule the will of the government.
Tabrez Ansari, a victim of a recent mob lynching that took place in Jharkhand, India on June 18, died on June 22 after he succumbed to his injuries in Seraikela Jail.
Mobs attacked at least one mosque and several shops in Minuwangoda during the violence yesterday.
According to an eyewitness, the mob descended on the suspect when he could not provide explain his mission in the area or give necessary information about himself when he was interrogated.
Is there a quick-fix solution to the problem of mob lynchings in India?