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