Who is Tom? The Naked Truth
Of the many legends you can read, there
is one that is really interesting. According to this legend, Lady Godiva rode
naked on a horse through Coventry. Her husband was a very powerful Lord, Lord Leofric. He refused to lower taxes. The people in town wanted to lower taxes. The wife, Lady Godiva, asked her husband to help the pople of Coventry with lower taxes. , Leofric again he refused. However, she persisted,
and one day in exasperation he told her he would lower taxes when she
rode a horse, naked, through the streets of the town at midday. Then she rode the horse, naked. Lady
Godiva became an instant heroine to the common people of Coventry. This is the reason why today we use the expression "the naked truth" All the windows of the houses
there were closed, except for one, the window of the house of a man called
Tom.
Today the English expression "Peeping Tom" is used by many people.
Tom is a short form of the name Thomas.
There are other expressions which come from names or short form of names.
English policemen are called "Bobbies"; they are called after Robert
Peel. He created the London police force.
Not only children, but also adults hold teddy bears in their hands; children
enjoy playing with them while adults or young people give teddy bears as a
present for Valentine's Day. Teddy is a short form of Theodore or Edward.
Theodore Teddy Roosevelt, former president of the United States, went
hunting one time. The people who had invited him tied a bear to a tree for
the president to shoot, however, Teddy Roosevelt did not want to shoot the
poor animal. This anecdote became famous, and many toy shops started to sell
"teddy" bears.
Teddy boys, who are often in trouble with the "Bobbies", like to
wear clothes which were fashionable at the beginning of the century when Edward
VII was King of England.
Boys short form |
Boys name |
Girls short form |
Girls name |
Al |
Alan |
Betty |
Elizabeth |
Andy |
Andrew |
Chris |
Christine |
Ben |
Benjamin |
Di |
Diana |
Bill |
William |
Fanny |
Francis |
Bobby |
Robert |
Jackie |
Jacqueline |
Charlie |
Charles |
Jan |
Janet |
Chris |
Christopher |
Jenny |
Jennifer |
Dan |
Daniel |
Jill |
Gillian |
Dave |
David |
Kate |
Catherine |
Dick |
Richard |
Liz |
Elizabeth |
Eddie |
Edward |
Maggie |
Margaret |
Frank |
Francis |
Pam |
Pamela |
Fred |
Frederick |
Pat |
Patricia |
Geoff |
Geoffrey |
Penny |
Penelope |
Harry |
Henry |
Ros |
Rosalind |
Jack |
John |
Sally |
Sarah |
Jim |
James |
Sandy |
Sandra |
Joe |
Joseph |
Sue |
Susan |
Ken |
Kenneth |
Terry |
Teresa |
Mick |
Michael |
Val |
Valerie |
Nick |
Nicholas |
|
|
Mike |
Michael |
|
|
Pat |
Patrick |
|
|
Pete |
Peter |
|
|
Phil |
Philip |
|
|
Rick |
Richard |
|
|
Rod |
Roderick |
|
|
Ron |
Ronald |
|
|
Sam |
Samuel |
|
|
Steve |
Stephen |
|
|
Teddy |
Edward |
|
|
Tim |
Timothy |
|
|
Tom |
Thomas |
|
|
Tony |
Anthony |
|
|