hell and Tommy

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Noun

hell and Tommy (uncountable)

1. (UK, 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.

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".