Public Enemy Number One: Meaning and Definition of

Pub'lic En'emy Num'ber One'

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. (not in official use) a criminal at the top of the FBI's list of the ten most wanted criminals.
  2. a major menace to public safety, health, etc.: Cancer is Public Enemy Number One.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.