Question

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry every person possible, especially very ordinary people

Accepted Answer

I wanted this to be a small, private party, but Victoria invited every Tom , Dick , and Harry. William Shakespeare used a phrase like this in one of his plays around 1600, but the last of the three names he used was Francis. In the early 1800s a lot of men were named Harry; that name replaced Francis and joined Tom and Dick, also common names, to stand for anybody and everybody, including ordinary people of low social status. "Tom, Dick, and Harry" is a put-down, usually spoken by a person who thinks that he or she is better than other people.

Idiom	Every Tom, Dick, and Harry
Example	I wanted this to be a small, private party, but Victoria invited every Tom , Dick , and Harry.
Meaning	every person possible, especially very ordinary people
Origin	William Shakespeare used a phrase like this in one of his plays around 1600, but the last of the three names he used was Francis. In the early 1800s a lot of men were named Harry; that name replaced Francis and joined Tom and Dick, also common names, to stand for anybody and everybody, including ordinary people of low social status. "Tom, Dick, and Harry" is a put-down, usually spoken by a person who thinks that he or she is better than other people.

Dick Harry Tom Person Ordinary I Wanted Small