tom&jerry: everyone knows who they are but no one knows why

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Why "Tom and Jerry", of all possible names? If the phrase was already in existence*, what did it originally refer to?

*Warning: it was

pt2: Who was Goody Two Shoes
pt3: Who wz the original "Inuit" Nell?

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 28 November 2002 13:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Obvious but probably incorrect answer: British and German soldiers.

― Sam (chirombo), Thursday, 28 November 2002 13:13 (twenty-three years ago)

haha good answer sam — except wrong

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 28 November 2002 13:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom and Jerry -- Pairing of names from Pierce Egan's Life in London, or Days and Nights of Jerry Hawthorne and his elegant friend Corinthian Tom. Egan was a noted chronicler of London low life of the Regency Period (1810-1820), when the rich young bucks of London like Tom and Jerry were notorious for roistering in the streets, breaking windows, and assaulting passers-by.

A Tom and Jerry shop was a low beer hall in the 19th century, a name derived both from Egan's work and from the older name Jerry shop that predated Egan.

The verb to Tom and Jerry means "to engage in riotous behavior."

The name Tom and Jerry was also used for a British mixed drink and for an American punch: an egg nog spiked with brandy and rum and served hot, usually in a mug. An early bartender's guide How to Mix Drinks (1862) was credited to "Jerry Thomas".

(from http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_and_Jerry)

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 28 November 2002 13:22 (twenty-three years ago)

it's cool isn't it!! nothing goes away!!

good stuff on the dawn of tabloids here

plus now do eskimo nell, jerry!!

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 28 November 2002 13:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom used to be known as Jasper.

― Chriddof (Chriddof), Thursday, 28 November 2002 14:02 (twenty-three years ago)

GOODY TWO SHOES
...comes from the title of a rather twee and moralistic nursery tale called The History of Goody Two-Shoes, which is thought to have been written by Oliver Goldsmith, and which was published in 1765 by John Newbery, one of the earliest London publishers of children's stories. Goody owned only one shoe. When she was given a pair of them, she was so pleased that she showed them to everybody, saying "Two shoes". The phrase now refers to a self-righteous, smugly virtuous person.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 28 November 2002 16:19 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

REVIVE!

― Revivalist (Revivalist), Monday, 19 July 2004 11:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Always hated that cartoon.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 19 July 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

respeck to Droopy!

― Huk-El (Horace Mann), Monday, 19 July 2004 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.americanroyalarts.com/library/HB62.jpg

― Huk-El (Horace Mann), Monday, 19 July 2004 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

no matter how much you try and get us to "respect" droopy, Huk-El, he is already lost to the mists of etc, for his creators' foolish decision not to name their nonplussed hound-dog after famous fictional roustabouts

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 19 July 2004 14:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Tom was "Jasper" for the first cartoon "Puss gets the boot" only. At that time MGM had no cartoon stars to match Warner Bros., Disney and Lantz. When the 1st short was unexpectedly successful the MGM execs decided to make it a series. William Hanna & Joe Barbera wanted better names so they had the animators come up with a list, and Tom & Jerry was voted best. That's the story in "the art of tom & jerry".

― Queen Electric Butt Prober BZZT!! BZZZZZT!! (Queen Electric Butt Prober BZZ), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 01:54 (twenty-one years ago)

that, and droopy looks and talks like joe lieberman!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 02:31 (twenty-one years ago)

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