Tom, Dick and Harry

Tom, Dick and Harry

:"This is about the phrase; for specific usages, see Tom, Dick and Harry (disambiguation)." The phrase "Tom, Dick and Harry" is a placeholder for multiple unspecified people; "Tom, Dick or Harry" plays the same role for "one" unspecified person. The phrase most commonly occurs as "every Tom, Dick and Harry", meaning "everyone", and "any Tom, Dick or Harry", meaning "anyone". The masculine names in these phrase do not in themselves imply exclusion of females, but use of either version when the context implies "necessarily" being female − for example, "Your mother could be any Tom Dick or Harry" − would normally be seen as careless or ironic.Fact|date=January 2008

imilar phrases in other languages

*Fulano, Zultano y Mengano — in Spanish
*Hinz und Kunz — in German
*Jan en Alleman — in Dutch
*Tizio, Caio, Sempronio, Mevio, Filano e Calpurnio — in Italian
*Gud og hver mann — in Norwegian
*Fulano, Beltrano e Sicrano — in Portuguese
*Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov — in Russian
*Are, Oore, Shamsi Kooreh — in Persian
*Andersson, Pettersson och Lundström - in Swedish

In medicine

English-speaking medical students use the phrase in memorizing the order of an artery, and a nerve, and the three tendons of the flexor retinaculum in the lower leg: the T,D,a,n, and H of Tom, Dick and Harry correspond to tibialis posterior, flexor digitorum longus, posterior tibial artery, tibial nerve, and flexor hallucis longus). [cite web|url=http://www.medicalmnemonics.com/cgi-bin/return_browse.cfm?discipline=Anatomy&system=Skeletal&browse=1 |title=MedicalMnemonics|accessdate=2008-01-17 |work= Medial malleolus: order of tendons, artery, nerve behind it ]

In popular culture

*Tom, Dick, and Harry were the names given to three Galapagos Island tortoises brought back to England aboard the HMS Beagle by Charles Darwin, as documented in his book, "The Voyage of the Beagle".
*Tom, Dick and Harry (1941 film)
*In "The Great Escape", the three tunnels were named Tom, Dick, and Harry.
*Tom, Dick and Sally — British comic strip.
*3rd Rock from the Sun — the three alien characters posing as male humans took "Tom", "Dick" and "Harry" as given names (and the one posing as female took "Sally", coinciding with the comic strip).
*Tom, Dick, and Harry — 2006 Bollywood film.
*Tom, Dick, and Harry are the names of three mountain peaks in the Cascade Range in Oregon, U.S.A.Fact|date=January 2008
*In the musical Kiss Me, Kate there is a song "Tom, Dick or Harry".
*A television advertisement for Fernwood Fitness, a woman's only fitness club in Australia, had the by-line "No Toms, no Harrys and definitely no Dicks" [ cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/insidebusiness/content/2005/s1426505.htm |title=Women's gym pumps up profits |accessdate=2008-10-09 |last=Letts |first=Stephen |work=Inside Business |publisher=ABC ]

Notes and references


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tom, Dick and Harry — Tom, Dick and/or Harry anyone, especially people that you do not know or do not think are important. Draw the curtains or we ll have every Tom, Dick and Harry peering through the window. I want a qualified plumber to do the job, not just any Tom …   New idioms dictionary

  • Tom, Dick,and Harry — Tom, Dick, and Harry n. Informal Anybody at all; a member of the public at large: It s not a smart idea to admit every Tom, Dick, and Harry to the party. * * * …   Universalium

  • Tom, Dick, and Harry — UK / US or Tom, Dick, or Harry UK / US informal any or every ordinary person rather than people who you choose or people who can provide what you need …   English dictionary

  • Tom, Dick, and Harry — Tom′, Dick′, and Har′ry n. anyone or everyone indiscriminately: They invited every Tom, Dick, and Harry to the party[/ex] • Etymology: 1805–15 …   From formal English to slang

  • Tom, Dick, and Harry — Tom, ,Dick, and Harry or ,Tom, ,Dick, or Har|ry INFORMAL any or every ordinary person rather than people you choose or people who can provide what you need …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Tom, Dick, and Harry — pron. everyone or anyone; people taken at random: usually preceded by every and used disparagingly …   English World dictionary

  • Tom, Dick, and Harry — ► NOUN ▪ ordinary people in general …   English terms dictionary

  • Tom, Dick, and Harry — {n. phr.} People in general; anyone; everyone. Usually preceded by every and used to show scorn or disrespect. * /The drunk told his troubles to every Tom, Dick and Harry who passed by./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Tom, Dick, and Harry — {n. phr.} People in general; anyone; everyone. Usually preceded by every and used to show scorn or disrespect. * /The drunk told his troubles to every Tom, Dick and Harry who passed by./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Tom, Dick, and Harry — noun (plural Toms, Dicks, and Harrys) Date: 1805 the common man ; anyone often used with every < helps every Tom, Dick, and Harry in need > …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”