Tom Thumb
Preserved but no longer current.
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 Thumb” mean?
Any dwarfish or insignificant person is so called; from the pigmy hero of the old nursery tale, popular in the 16th century. The History of Tom Thumb was published by R, Johnson in 1621, and there is a similar tale by Perrault (Le Petit Poucet), in 1630.
Is “Tom Thumb” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.