This is a historical question, and not meant in any other way...
Why were/are the brits called Tommy's and the germans called Jerry's ?
Tom is Grey, and Jerry is brown.
The German Army wore grey uniforms, the british brown.
Jerry, was the smart one, and always won, where as Tom was a real dunce.
Where did it all come from, and has it got anything to do with "Tom & Jerry" at all ??
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Why are Brits "Tommy" and Germans "Jerry"?
I'm looking for an answer....
you lazy git, try google!
I've looked, but can't seem to find anything.
try "why are the english called tommies" .. simple for a native
Wikipedia is also a handy place to look ..
Wikipedia is also a handy place to look ..
QUOTE
"Jerry was a World War I British Army slang for "German," 1919, probably an alteration of German, but also said to be from the shape of the German helmet, which was like a jerry, British slang for "chamber pot" (1827), probably an abbreviation of jeroboam. Hence jerry-can "5-gallon metal container" (1943), a type first used by German troops in World War II, later adopted by the Allies. The German can was superior to the British or American and they adopted the German design.�
QUOTE
British soldiers were called "Tommies" by the Australians, a reference to "Thomas Atkins", the first name that the Duke of Wellington entered into the first British army sample soldier's pay-book.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommies
I Googled "Tommy Aitkins" and got the Britboard.de Here
Aha, great. Thanks all, so nothing to do with Tom & Jerry then ...
it is surprising how often the britboard does come up
in view of the fact they made their debut in 1940, unlikely :doh:
http://www.toonopedia.com/tomjerry.htm
http://www.toonopedia.com/tomjerry.htm
I knew that they appeared in WWII, so thats why I was confused about how they could have been mixed up ...
funny i was just talking about this an hour ago with a german technician that was here and the saying 'Jerry built' when something is not built properly
The book Tommy has all the info you need I think.
It's a thick one though and I havn't had time to finish it yet!
Jerry Built:
Meaning
Built in a makeshift and insubstantial manner to make a quick profit on a sale.
Origin
The phrase has been around since at least 1869. More recently jerry builders are more likely to be called cowboy builders or just cowboys. The derivation is unclear although there are many candidate explanations. 1. It is derived from the city of Jericho (which fell down). 2. From the Romany word for excrement - gerry. 3. From jerrymumble - meaning to knock about. 4. From 'Jerry Sneak' - a henpecked husband.
It's a thick one though and I havn't had time to finish it yet!
Jerry Built:
Meaning
Built in a makeshift and insubstantial manner to make a quick profit on a sale.
Origin
The phrase has been around since at least 1869. More recently jerry builders are more likely to be called cowboy builders or just cowboys. The derivation is unclear although there are many candidate explanations. 1. It is derived from the city of Jericho (which fell down). 2. From the Romany word for excrement - gerry. 3. From jerrymumble - meaning to knock about. 4. From 'Jerry Sneak' - a henpecked husband.
QUOTE
It's a thick one though
sounds just the sort of book for far-lands
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