Tom Long
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Any lazy, dilatory man. To be kept waiting for Tom Long is to be kept hanging about for a wearisome time.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Tom Long” mean?
Any lazy, dilatory man. To be kept waiting for Tom Long is to be kept hanging about for a wearisome time.
Is “Tom Long” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.