# What is the Term for the Relationship Tom and Jerry Have? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439 "2007-02-01T18:29:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439/21 "2007-02-01T21:47:02Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] Besides the Van Bueren Tom and Jerry (renamed “Dick and Larry” for some television broadcasts), there was another famous duo who also went by that name. You probably know them better as Simon and Garfunkel. [/QUOTE] Didn’t S&G name themselves after the Cat and Mouse Duo? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2007, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439/22 "2007-02-01T21:52:23Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] You probably know them better as Simon and Garfunkel. [/QUOTE] I like the one where SImon sticks Garfunkel’s tail in the waffle iron. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439/23 "2007-02-01T22:00:52Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Didn’t S&G name themselves after the Cat and Mouse Duo? [/QUOTE] I’m pretty sure they did. I’m just pointing out other Tom and Jerries. There’s also a cocktail by that name. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439/24 "2007-02-01T22:04:52Z")
Symbio-antagonists. I just made that up, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2007, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439/25 "2007-02-01T22:40:43Z")
The original Tom & Jerry were characters in [Life in London by George Egan](http://www.brynmawr.edu/Library/speccoll/guides/london/sociallife.shtml), a novel about rich young-men-about-town set in Regency London: > [@](#): > > Egan was a London sports writer and humourist whose Life in London books–recounting the adventures of the fictitious Corinthian Tom and Jerry Hawthorn–give a lively account of the city’s sporting gallants and amusements in thedays of the Regency. Illustrated by Robert Cruikshank (brother of George), these tales of the rich young Regency beaux were some of the earliest examples of journalism covering popular culture rather than the royal court and politics, and **also the origin of the phrase “Tom and Jerry,” meaning to fight, drink and cause trouble.** ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439/26 "2007-02-02T00:17:34Z")
Hanna-Barbaric ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439/27 "2007-02-02T04:08:14Z")
Hostile dependency? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439/28 "2007-02-02T04:16:47Z")
[QUOTE=mrklutz] Siblings. “Nobody hits my brother – except me.” [/QUOTE] You might be on the right track here. They’re kind of like a dysfunctional family. They constantly fight, and to all external appearances hate each other, but if some outside force threatens, they’ll temporarily set aside their differences to fight it. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439/29 "2007-02-02T05:02:58Z")
Acetate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-the-relationship-tom-and-jerry-have/390439.md?page=1)