# "'Stand back,' Tom ejaculated!" Origin of the "Tom Swifty"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267 "2005-12-06T00:07:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/61 "2009-11-13T01:50:00Z")
[Tom Swift books up the wazoo.](http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/a#a267) I read a few, but I can’t stand to read anymore of them. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/62 "2009-11-13T01:53:06Z")
Do these sort of examples count (asked Tom, swiftly) or do they have to use said + an adverb? “They clubbed the seal to death,” Tom blubbered. “My heartbeat seems rather irregular,” Tom murmured. “She must have left this mink coat for me to wear,” Tom inferred. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/63 "2009-11-13T02:59:42Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > “She must have left this mink coat for me to wear,” Tom inferred. You should be ashamed of yourself. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bernard\_Marx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@Bernard\_Marx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bernard_Marx)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/64 "2009-11-13T05:36:15Z")
“My, you’ve put on a lot of weight, Auntie”, Dorothy said emphatically. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/65 "2009-11-13T12:13:05Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > You should be ashamed of yourself. > 🙂 “I’ll send another message of apology over the wireless,” Colophon said, remorsefully. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/66 "2009-11-13T13:08:51Z")
Minor Mod note: when **Maserschmidt** posted to this thread in post #54, that was reviving a thread after four years of inactivity. That’s what we call a “zombie” thread, and it’s OK here. However, please remember that if you’re replying to an older post, that it was possibly made four years ago. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/67 "2009-11-13T13:09:41Z")
“This is a zombie, but I don’t have a problem leaving it open,” twicks said moderately. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/68 "2009-11-13T14:12:09Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > **They don’t hit you in the eye** , but if you look at the oldest books, adjectivized **ejaculations** are used a little more than they ought to be, ideally. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Sneaky little… ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/69 "2009-11-13T16:08:40Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Minor Mod note: when **Maserschmidt** posted to this thread in post #54, that was reviving a thread after four years of inactivity. That’s what we call a “zombie” thread, and it’s OK here. However, please remember that if you’re replying to an older post, that it was possibly made four years ago. “That was stupid of me to come in four years later,” **Maserschmidt** said tardily. (I’m sorry; that’s horrible. I couldn’t resist the double shot. No offense intended.) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/70 "2009-11-13T16:21:37Z")
“I sure to love corn on the cob!” Tom said huskily. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/71 "2009-11-13T16:53:44Z")
“I hate golden showers,” Tom said pissily. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/72 "2009-11-13T17:10:15Z")
“I wish I didn’t have flat feet,” said Tom archly. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/73 "2009-11-13T17:10:16Z")
Going along with the Viagra ones, above, shouldn’t this: > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > “My wood is gone! It’s all gone!” Tom pined. read: “My wood is gone! It’s all gone!”, Tom said, limply? ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/74 "2009-11-13T17:11:28Z")
“I’ll have some knishes and gefilte fish”, Tom said judiciously. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/75 "2009-11-13T17:38:37Z")
“it’s a Black thing,” Tom said darkly, then lightened up. “Like Sammy Sosa!” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/76 "2009-11-13T18:06:15Z")
“I throw a mean curve ball,” Tom pitched in. “I used to teach geometry years ago,” Tom expostulated. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/77 "2009-11-13T18:13:05Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I always assumed that they were called “Tom Swiftys” because they were very brief. _Swift_, as it were, although the frequent use of adverbs in the Tom Swift books (if that was the case – I never read them) would’ve helped it along. > Just so’s you know, by the way, the “Tom Swift” books most of us are familiar with isn’t the original series. Those high-tech books with names like “Tom Swift and his Gravitational AeroBathySphere” by “Victor Appleton III” date from the 1950s, and are in imitation of the original circa 1910 series with much less ambitious titles like “Tom Swift and his Electric Bicycle” by “Victor Appleton”, the putative grandfather of V.A. III. All the Victor Appletons are, of course, house names disguiising a variety of authors. The 1950s vintage Tom Swift is supposed to be Tom Swift, Jr. I can actually add something of use to this zombie, having read a bunch of the original books since it got started. I did not see one Tom Swifty in the dozen or so I read. (My father-in-law had a bunch as a kid, saved them, and gave them to me.) There are plenty of adjectival phrases, but none that would qualify as a Tom Swifty in the way so well understood here. The last one I read was from the 30s, so I didn’t miss any. The original series, by the way, was written by the guy who also wrote Uncle Wiggly. The '50s series, much inferior, was by Appleton II. There was a series by Appleton III starring Tom Swift III. I have 3 of them, but only have read the first. It was set on a space colony, partly. The '50s series, which I have been going through, seems to have been written by different people, since some of them try to get the science a little right while others were clearly written by people who considered science books to be kryptonite. The house name is not necessarily indicative of multiple authors - the Nancy Drew originals had only two, and that was over time, not interspersed. TS jr. is set in the same universe as the original, with Ned Newton making appearances as the COO, more or less, of Swift Enterprises, which has become quite the big thing. Unlike Nancy Drew or the Hardy boys, the books have some reasonable amount of continuity, with inventions in one book being reused in later ones. I’m reading them now because I never read them as a kid for some reason, which might explain why I got into science and engineering. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/78 "2009-11-13T18:14:56Z")
Tom Swifties are great. 🙂 “My wife has a nasty case of thrush,” Tom said, candidly. “I don’t think this metal was manufactured properly,” Tom said, bad-temperedly. “2bd, gd locn, gsh, f/f, £900pcm,” Tom said, aptly. “Поторопись!” Tom said, in Russian. “Se on ohi,” Tom said, in Finnish. “Hurry up!” and “It’s over”, respectively ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_X2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90db22/32.png) [@Karen\_X2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_X2)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/79 "2009-11-13T19:25:24Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > “I arrived by parachute,” Tom explained. > > snip This may be one of the best I’ve ever heard. “Let’s French kiss” said Tom, tongue-in cheek ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267/80 "2009-11-13T19:32:06Z")
I posted this in the pun thread. This is the best shrimp cocktail I ever ate ,said Tom shellfishly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-back-tom-ejaculated-origin-of-the-tom-swifty/334267.md?page=5)