proverb · Words worth keeping
He's Tom Tell-troth.
He's Tom Tell-troth.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The phrase calls someone Tom Tell-troth, giving truth-telling the form of a personal name. It can characterise a speaker as direct or eager to tell what he considers true.
What the words are saying
The alliterative name makes the trait memorable, but the phrase alone does not say whether the tone is praise, teasing or criticism. A responsible application distinguishes the reputation of being a truth-teller from evidence that a particular statement is accurate. No historical person is identified merely because the name sounds personal.
Everyday example
A reader checks a claim even when its speaker is introduced as someone who always tells the truth.
When to use it
Use it to discuss a character label with its tone qualified.
What it does not mean
The label does not verify accuracy or establish a real named person or origin.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1630 · Tom
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English