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Tommy Atkins

A British soldier. The term originated in manuals once sent to British soldiers, in which the name used as an example was "Tommy Atkins" (as opposed to "John Doe"). In his younger years, my grandfather was a Tommy Atkins.
See also: tommy

Tom Tiddler's ground

1. A children's game in which a player (dubbed "Tom Tiddler") must catch other players who try to invade or cross into their area to "steal" their "gold." I remember being kids and playing games like Tom Tiddler's round or hopscotch; nowadays, kids just sit around on their phones watching videos online.
2. By extension, an area or situation in which one may make significant profits but is or might be at risk or in danger. The region has become something of a Tom Tiddler's ground for the three major countries surrounding it, each one claiming of its resources as their own. The deregulation created a Tom Tiddler's ground for corporations who exploited every avenue possible to maximize profits, though such an unstable market eventually lead to one of the largest economic crashes in history.
See also: ground, tom

Tom Tiddler's ground

a place where money or profit is readily made.
Tom Tiddler's ground was the name of a children's game in which one of the players, named Tom Tiddler, marked out their territory by drawing a line on the ground. The other players ran over this line calling out ‘We're on Tom Tiddler's ground, picking up gold and silver’. They were then chased by Tom Tiddler and the first (or, sometimes, the last) to be caught took his or her place.
See also: ground, tom
References in classic literature ?
He sat in the sun, and conversed cordially with Tommy Brock, who was passing through the wood with a sack and a little spud which he used for digging, and some mole traps.
Bouncer; because Tommy Brock was so fat and stumpy and grinning.
Bouncer laughed; and pressed Tommy Brock to come inside, to taste a slice of seed-cake and "a glass of my daughter Flopsy's cowslip wine.
Bouncer smoked another pipe, and gave Tommy Brock a cabbage leaf cigar which was so very strong that it made Tommy Brock grin more than ever; and the smoke filled the burrow.
Tommy Brock and all the young rabbit-babies had disappeared!
He found another mole trap newly set; he was still upon the track of Tommy Brock.
They crossed several fields and began to climb the hill; the tracks of Tommy Brock were plainly to be seen.
Bardell, leaning on Jackson's arm, and leading Tommy by the hand, had already entered the porch.
A pretty general muster of the company had by this time taken place; for besides Mr Lenville and his friend Tommy, there were present, a slim young gentleman with weak eyes, who played the low-spirited lovers and sang tenor songs, and who had come arm-in-arm with the comic countryman--a man with a turned-up nose, large mouth, broad face, and staring eyes.