I .
n ( infml old-fash )
a British soldier of the lowest rank. It is short for Tommy (Thomas) Atkins , the name formerly used as that of a typical soldier on official army documents, to show how these should be completed.
II .
a rock opera (= a story told through a series of rock music songs), written by Pete Townsend of the group The Who and originally recorded and performed by the group in 1969. It tells the story of a boy called Tommy who cannot hear, speak or see but who becomes very good at the game of pinball. It was made into a film (1974) directed by Ken Russell , and later into a stage show.