Tom Fool starts appearing in the historical record early in the 1300s in the Latinate Thomas fatuus. The first part designated any ordinary person, as it still does in phrases like Tom, Dick and Harry. The second word means stupid or foolish in Latin and has bequeathed us fatuous and infatuate, among other words. By 1356, Thomas fatuus had been anglicized to Tom Fool. Turns out, the most famous Tom Fool was a nasty piece of work.
© 2024 John Oliver
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