The Female version of “Tom, Dick and Harry”
by bernt & torsten
Is there a female version of “Tom Dick & Harry”?
No there is no female version – The phrase “Tom, Dick and Harry” is a placeholder for multiple unspecified people; “Tom, Dick or Harry” plays the same role for one unspecified person. The phrase most commonly occurs as “every Tom, Dick and Harry”, meaning everyone, and “any Tom, Dick or Harry”, meaning anyone. The masculine names in these phrases do not in themselves imply the exclusion of females, but the use of either version when the context implies necessarily being female.
Tech Disillusionment
For four decades, I have worked in the tech industry. I started in the 1980s when computing...
A Poem: The Consultant's Message
On a Friday, cold and gray,
The message came, sharp as steel,
Not from those we...
Using AI to Plan Wall Repair and Gutter Installation
In this article, I will share my experience using AI to plan the work required to fix a wall...