Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Alone, by oneself: Used informally, primarily in British English, to describe being on one's own or without company.

2. Noun:

   • A unit of weight: A historical British unit of weight for wool, equivalent to 28 pounds (approximately 12.7 kilograms).

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:

  • He spent the evening on his tod. (He spent the evening alone.)
  • Are you going to the cinema on your tod? (Are you going to the cinema by yourself?)

• Noun:

  • The farmer sold a tod of wool at the market. (The farmer sold 28 pounds of wool at the market.)
  • In old records, wool was often measured in tods. (In old records, wool was often measured in units of 28 pounds.)

Advanced Usage

• "on one's tod": This is the primary idiomatic phrase using the adjective form, meaning "on one's own." It is rhyming slang, derived from "Tod Sloan," the name of a famous jockey, which rhymes with "alone."
  • I'll be on my tod this weekend. (I'll be by myself this weekend.)

Variants and Related Words

• Alone (adj): Being by oneself; not with others. This is the standard synonym for the adjectival sense of 'tod'.
• Stone (n): Another historical British unit of weight (14 pounds), sometimes mentioned alongside the tod.

Synonyms

• Adjective sense: Alone, solo, unaccompanied, solitary.
• Noun sense: Unit, measure (specific to weight).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs/Idioms)

• On one's tod: The only common phrase, meaning alone.
  • She decided to go for a walk on her tod. (She decided to go for a walk by herself.)

Related Idioms

• There are no other widely recognized idioms specifically for 'tod' beyond the phrase "on one's tod."

Adjective

1. alone and on your own
   • don't just sit there on your tod

Noun

1. a unit of weight for wool equal to about 28 pounds