tommy cooker

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

The M4 Sherman tank, due to its likelihood to "brew up" and explode after being hit by German tank fire in World War II. Little to no contemporary evidence of this definition exists.

Register: archaic, slang

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “tommy cooker” mean?

The M4 Sherman tank, due to its likelihood to "brew up" and explode after being hit by German tank fire in World War II. Little to no contemporary evidence of this definition exists.

Is “tommy cooker” formal or informal?

tommy cooker is generally archaic, slang.