E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Shandy.
Captain Shandy is called Uncle Toby. He was wounded at the siege of Namur, and had retired from the service. He is benevolent and generous, simple as a child, brave as a lion, and gallant as a courtier. His modesty with Widow Wadman and his military tastes are admirable. He is said to be drawn for Sterne’s father. (Tristram Shandy.)
1
Mrs. Elizabeth Shandy, mother of Tristram. The beau-ideal of nonentity. Sir Walter Scott describes her as a “good lady of the poco-curante school.” (Sterne: Tristram Shandy.)
2
Tristram Shandy. The hero of Sterne’s novel so called.
3
Walter Shandy, Tristram’s father. He is a metaphysical Don Quixote in his
way, full of superstitious and idle conceits. He believes in long noses and propitious names, but his son’s nose is crushed, and his name is Tristram instead of Trismegistus. (Sterne: Tristram Shandy.)
