Green’s Dictionary of Slang

tommyrot n.

absolute nonsense.

1883		York Herald 20 Nov. 7/1: All I can say [...] is that we must not be caught by any such tommy-rot as this.
1885		‘’Arry on the Elections’ in Punch 12 Dec. 277/2: Rural parts, mate, are all tommy rot.
1887		Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Oct. 8/2: So, why do you spout tommy nonsense until / We look round about us for something to kill?
1894		Truth (Sydney) 4 Feb. 4/6: More than 11 years have passed since that Thrasonical tommy-rot was let off.
1895		J.L. Williams Princeton Stories 154: This thing is wild oats [...] is all wrong, all nonsense, all Tommy-rot.
1900		Flynt & Walton Powers That Prey 238: What you say o’ just sittin’ still ’s tommyrot.
1901		Bulletin (Sydney) 7 Dec. 18/2: ‘What’re you talking about? [...] Can’t come back to me because you’re too fond of me! What tommy tripe!’ / ‘It’s not tommy,’ she said, reddening still deeper.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 31 July 4/8: The much-dreaded Influx is all tommy-rot, / Distorted flap-doodle and flam.
1905		A. Binstead Mop Fair 95: Of course, it’s all tommy-rot, isn’t it?
1908		H. Lawson ‘A Song of General Sick-and-Tiredness’ in Roderick (1967–9) II 242: I’m sick of / [...] / the innocent swims with the lithe Brown Limbs, and — the rest of the Thomas Rot.
c.1910		G.W. Hunter [perf.] ‘The Amateur’s Show’ 🎵 The same voice cried out, ‘Tommy Jones your voice is Tommy Rot!’.
1910		Sun. Times (Perth) 15 May 2nd sect. 12/8: For all their blasted tommy-rot / And all their soppy tripe, / There’s comfort in the wallop-pot, / And solace in the pipe.
1912		Ade Knocking the Neighbors 188: He made the Crack that, if he wanted to go in for such Tommy-rot, he could be dining with the aforesaid Dowager Duchess within a year.
1922		S. Lewis Babbitt (1974) 176: This vers libre was tommyrot.
1933		C. Himes ‘Prison Mass’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 186: I might not have believed in all of that tommy-rot that the ministers were trying to cram down my throat.
1934		Eve. Teleg. (Dundee) 5 Jan. 9/2: Crying? What tommy-rot!
a.1941		T. Woottwell [perf. Tom Woottwell] ‘Another Attempt to Murder Me’ 🎵 When I tell you this you’ll tell me I'm a liar, / And say that all I've told you’s tommy rot.
1945		R.L. Bellem ‘Poison Payoff’ Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 I suppose you’re here about my husband’s insane idea that he’s being poisoned? [...] That’s tommyrot.
1947		Eve. Teleg. (Dundee) 29 Jan. 10/4: ‘What Tommy-rot!’ he exclaimed.
1950		(con. 1936–46) K.S. Prichard Winged Seeds (1984) 190: That’s idealistic tommy rot.
1960		(con. c.1918) D. Holman-Hunt My Grandmothers and I (1987) 62: It was just that doctor’s tommyrot.
1979		H. Leonard A Life (1981) Act II: I know what the Church says. That the creator of heaven and earth is a bungler who burns his mistakes. Tommy-rot.
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 390: tommyrot. Nonsense, i.e., words uttered by a tomfool.

In exclamations

tommyrot!

nonsense!

1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 10 Jan. 8/2: Tommy rot! Only two men did the hard graft of those fields .
1914		Liverpool Echo 13 May 5/3: He advised the men to acept the present offer until they were sufficiently organized to strike [...] Tommy rot!
1920		W. Hodge Guest of Honor 107: Oh, tommyrot, and are you going to remain in the house all the blooming afternoon just to meet that blithering idiot?
1926		E. Walrond Tropic Death (1972) 149: Tommyrot! Some jealous squatter fired the brake, that’s all.
1953		L. Uris Battle Cry (1964) 283: Tommyrot [...] My home is yours, son.
1971		W. Heinesen et al. Lost Musicians 171: Oh, tommyrot, that’s nothing to thank me for.
1982		M. Braun Judas Tree (1983) 49: Absolute tommyrot!