Tom fool

[tom-fool]

Origin

noun

a grossly foolish or stupid person; a silly fool.

adjective

being or characteristic of a tomfool.

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Tom fool is always a great word to know.

So is slumgullion. Does it mean:

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English Thome fole Tom the fool

Related forms

tom·fool·ish, adjective

tom·fool·ish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

tomfool

"buffoon, clown," 1650, from M.E. Thom Foole, personification of a mentally deficient man (1338), see Tom + fool. Tomfoolery is recorded from 1812.

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