Names: The Trench Broom? Really?

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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
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A Mini-Discussion:

There's a lot to be said for the name of a thing--names can represent different functions or viewpoints for the same object, or show the object's existence in different cultures or environments. Especially when focused on objects from the past, the name of an object is given before or at the same time as the image of the object itself, thus permanently linking the name and the image of an object together in the human mind. You can see the importance of names in this way from many angles--for instance, the thought that goes into the name of a commercial product, or a name that's meant to conjure up certain emotions. Naturally, then, it makes sense that the Tommy Gun has gone through a few names during its existence, each of which highlights a certain point in time or a certain function and intent.

The full name of the gun, The Thompson Submachine Gun, or just the Thompson Machine Gun, is based on its creator, John T. Thompson. This is also the origin of the most commonly used name for the gun, the "Tommy Gun"--a shortening used after the gun's popularization with gangsters that emphasizes just how much the gun's intent changed from Thompson's failed attempts to sell them to the police and the military to their widespread use in trafficking of illegal items and gang warfare.

John T. Thompson originally referred to the gun as a "Trench Broom"--he developed the gun to be used in World War I as a way to clean out and take over a trench on the battlefield, hence, a "broom" for the trench. The gun was finished to late to be used in World War I, however, so the name became obscure and deferred to the "Thompson Submachine Gun" for the time being, although this original intent would resurface in World War II when it was referred to as the Thompson Submachine Gun once again.

The gun was also called an "Anti-Bandit Gun"--after the aforementioned failed attempts at selling the gun to police and military buyers, Thompson marketed it towards private citizens, claiming it could be used to ward off bandits from one's home. (See Selling to Citizens.)

The Tommy Gun earned more nicknames as it became more popular in culture and with gangsters. The most prominent of these was "The Chicago Typewriter", a mix of the most infamous mob base in the 1920's and the equally infamous "rat-tat-tat" clicking sound the Tommy Gun makes when fired. Other similar nicknames include "Chopper" and "The Chicago Piano."

So, how does this tie into the social aspect of the Tommy Gun? Actually, in a sense the different names parallel the way the Tommy Gun has grown into different social niches--from a military gun called the Thompson Submachine Gun to a gun used by the mafia called the Chicago Typewriter. The name doubles back to the first time the object was used in a certain manner whenever it is used in that manner again: the Thompson Submachine Gun in World War II, the Chicago Typewriter in gangster movies everywhere from the 1930's until today. In this way the "Tommy Gun" name almost seems like a middle ground between two extreme social positions, taking a hint from the official name and yet tweaking it a bit to symbolizes how the function has slightly changed. This might also be why "Tommy Gun" is the term most used today, since it has the most balanced history behind it and thus encapsulates as much of the story of the gun as possible.