where does the slang john thomas come from?

[tweenyb]

where does the slang john thomas come from?

[boxtops]

"The term derives from the name the leading man in D.H. Lawrence's novel, Lady Chatterley's Lover, who gave to his own appendage. The book was made famous by the obscenity trial it landed Penguin Books in during the 1950s."

Source(s):

08:00 Fri 22nd Apr 2011

[Count-A-Strong]

John Thomas was a Welsh poet born in 1754 in Betwsy Coed. He often disguised rude words in his poetry by referring to the male member as ' a cuckolds stick' or ' Sheep worrier' and so his name became synonymous with a p e n i s.

[boxtops]

Interesting CaS, that's quite different to what I found.

[tweenyb]

well there you go, thanks for the answers... its funny the things that you wonder about lol

[Quizmonster]

The Oxford Dictionary of Slang suggests that the usage first appeared in the late 1880s, so - if that is correct - neither of the two suggestions above can be. NB I'm not saying they ARE wrong, but Oxford dictionaries are generally reliable.

[Hornswoggle]

Maybe D.H Lawrence knew of the Poet John Thomas (he's bound to have known, being a writer) and named the character in his novel afte him. Authors love to put little nods on winks and references into their works, especially when they're related to other writers or their works.

[Hornswoggle]

Btw Count-a-Strong, 'sheep worrier' is hilarious