tommy
tommy Lexical Profile
tommy Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British An ordinary private soldier in the British army (usually capitalized as 'Tommy').
"Letters written from the trenches vividly describe the daily hardships faced by the average Tommy during the First World War."
British Bread,typically a small brown loaf, or food and provisions in general, especially when distributed as rations or given to workmen in place of monetary wages.
"In the nineteenth-century mining town, workers protested against being paid in tommy rather than lawful coin."
British A short metal rod or pin inserted into a hole in the head of a socket wrench, screw, or capstan to provide leverage for turning it.
"The machinist slipped a steel tommy through the collar of the chuck to tighten it securely."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to a British soldier, the word is typically capitalized as 'Tommy' (short for 'Tommy Atkins'), whereas historical British senses referring to bread or goods given in lieu of wages are written in lowercase.
• Rhymes for tommy
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived as a diminutive of the given name 'Tom' (from 'Thomas'); the military sense comes from 'Thomas Atkins', a placeholder name used on British Army specimen forms since the early 19th century.