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 Tom Topper, subs. phr. (common).—A ferryman; a river hand: also Tom Tug.

Tom Towly, subs. phr. (old).—A simpleton: see Buffle.

1583. Stanyhurst, Æneid, Dedic. What Tom Towly is so simple that wyl not attempt to be a rithmoure?

Tom-trot, subs. phr. (common).—'A sweetmeat: sugar, butter, and treacle melted together' (Halliwell).

1844. Disraeli, Coningsby, i. I want toffy; I have been eating Tom Trot all day.

Tom Tug, subs. phr. (rhyming).—1. A fool; a mug (q.v.): see Buffle.

2. See Tom Topper.

Tom-tumbler, subs. phr. (old).—'?The name of a fiend. See Scot, Discoverie of Witchcraft, 1584, as quoted in Ritson's Essay on Fairies, p. 45' (Halliwell).

Tom Turdman. See Turd.

Tom Tyler, subs. phr. (old).—A common fellow; a Mr Nobody: cf. Smith and Jones.

1583. Stanyhurst, Æneid, 154, s.v.

Ton. See Bon-ton.

Tone, indef. pron. (old literary: now vulgar).—That one: see Tother.

Tong, subs. (American).—1. In pl., see quot. and Kicks.

1870. Judd, Margaret, i. The boys dressed in tongs, a name for pantaloons or overalls that had come into use.

2. (dentists' and medical).—In pl. = forceps: dental or midwifery.

Pair of tongs, subs. phr. (common).—A lanky person; a lamp-post (q.v.): also Tongs! (a sarcastic address).

Not to be touched without a pair of tongs, phr. (common).—A simile of disgust: also except at the end of a barge-pole.

1668. Lestrange, Quevedo (1678), 22. Your Beauties can never want gallants to lay their Appetites Whereas No-body will touch the ill-favoured without a pair of tongs.

Hammer and tongs. See ante, s.v. Hammer.

Tongue, subs. (colloquial).—Generic for speech: esp. (1) gabble; (2) abuse, or (3) impudence. As verb (to tongue it, or to flash the tongue) = (l) to talk down; (2) to talk at, to chide; (3) to mouth (q.v.); and (4) to sauce (q.v.). Whence numerous derivatives and combinations: thus, to tongue-bang = to scold roundly, to rate: tongue-banger = a scold; tongue-battery = a torrent of words, a flood of talk; tongue-biter = an indistinct speaker: also to bite the tongue = to keep silence; tongue-doughty = bragging, word-valiant; tongue-fence = debate, argument: tongue fencer = (1) a master of words, and (2) a mouthing-speaker; tongue-lashing = wordy abuse; tongue-man = (1) an orator, (2) a chatterbox, and (3) a scold: also tongue-pad (see quot. 1696) and tonguester; tongue-powder = fluency of phrase; tongue-shot = as far as the voice will reach: cf. 'ear-shot'; tongue-sore = an evil tongue, ill-speaking; tongue-valiant = (1) free of talk: hence (2)