tommy
Preserved but no longer current.
Bread,—food generally. Sometimes applied by workmen to the supply of food which they carry in a bag or handkerchief as their daily allowance. TOMMY-BAG is the term for the bag or handkerchief in which the "daily bread" is carried.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “tommy” mean?
Bread,—food generally. Sometimes applied by workmen to the supply of food which they carry in a bag or handkerchief as their daily allowance. TOMMY-BAG is the term for the bag or handkerchief in which the "daily bread" is carried.
Is “tommy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.