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uncle Tom and Cobbleigh and all

Uncle Tom and Cobbleigh and all (from the ballad Widdicombre Fair) is becoming old-fashioned but is used humorously to mean “and the rest”.

"Widecombe Fair", also called Tom Pearce (sometimes spelt "Tam Pierce"), is a well-known Devon folk song about a man called Tom Pearce, whose horse dies after someone borrows it to travel to the fair in Widecombe with his friends. Its chorus ends with a long list of the people travelling to the fair: "Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke, Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all." Some research suggests that the names originally referred to real people.

As the last name in a long list, "Uncle Tom Cobley" has come to be used as a humorous colloquialism meaning "anyone and everyone". The surname is spelt as "Cobleigh" in some references.

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Idioms from English Literature

Category: Literature

Total terms: 11

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