hell and Tommy
English
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun
hell and Tommy (uncountable)
- (Britain, slang, dated) Utter ruin or destruction.
- 1900, Eyre Hussey, On Account of Sarah (page 219)
- If you refuse, there will be hell and Tommy.
- 1932, John Brandane, Straw-feet (page 233)
- But Gurney gets beyond a joke, my boy, with his drinking and what not. We must have the blighter shifted out of this district for good, or it will be hell and Tommy for all of us.
- 1900, Eyre Hussey, On Account of Sarah (page 219)
Usage notes
- Sometimes in the phrase "hell and Tommy to pay"; compare hell to pay.
- Sometimes in the phrase "play hell and Tommy" or "kick up hell and Tommy".