Tom, Prostitute

[xyzzy@bok]

Yes i've googled; Why is a prostitute called a 'tom' - heard on 'The Bill'

[Quizmonster]

'Tom' and even 'Tom-tart' were both perfectly acceptable words in Australia in the 1880s for 'girl/girl-friend'. Unfortunately, they didn't transfer too well to the UK! The first recorded use of the word to mean 'prostitute' here appeared in a dictionary of criminal slang in 1914. It's fairly clear where the original 'girl' idea had come from, though.

[xyzzy@bok]

thx 4 answer one step nearer QM but why Tom, and not Tabby, say or Tracy? Q. still stands

[Quizmonster]

Dear Xyz, What I offered you was the etymology given in The Oxford English Dictionary...generally regarded as the 'bible' in such matters.

I suppose it could be that tom-cats are generally considered to be sexual obsessives, so there might be a connection with prostitution there, though the gender appears dubious. At any rate, the OED doesn't mention it...that's just me having a guess.

We speak about tom-foolery, so would you ask why it isn't jack-foolery, bill-foolery or whoever-else foolery? Cheers, nevertheless.

[Quizmonster]

It occurs to me that you possibly would ask my closing question, so here's the answer...In the 16th century a male patient in Bedlam (an insane asylum) was called a 'Tom o' Bedlam'. That gave rise to the simpler version, 'Tom-fool', which in turn gave us 'tomfoolery'.

However, we are still left with the same question as in the prostitute one above...namely, why 'Tom' specifically, when any other male name would have served equally well? All one can say is: "It just is!"

[stephaniel]

My Father-in-law, a cockney, says it's rhyming slang. "Thomas Moore - wh0re"

[xyzzy@bok]

thx for your persistence QM.. and tomfoolery being jewelry as well. The there's tom pepper, tomtit? Stephaniel seems to have it cinched maybe; here's a link corroborating Thomas Moore; http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,
5753,-26198,00.html

[Quizmonster]

I had a look at your link-site, Xyz, and couldn't help noticing that two of the respondents said "I have no foundation for/I don't vouch for" re their responses. It was interesting, too, to see that the randy-cat idea I suggested earlier was listed. (And there was I thinking myself wonderfully original!)

If you click http://www.londonlang.com/db/t/ you'll find a site that specifically says there is no evidence for a rhyming slang explanation. That is supported by the fact that the OED is generally quite happy to enter rhyming slang word-meanings - eg it does so for tom = jewellery - and it simply doesn't re tom = prostitute. Personally, I'll be sticking with their etymology, as offered earlier. The evidence for doing otherwise is extremely unconvincing.

I promise I'll stop there...persistence can go on for only so long!

[treaclefight]

answer from a true cockney... as far as i know it's from the rhyming slack for sick, which is tom 'n' dick. nothing to do with sick i know but i think you can work out the tom 'n' dick part