# Sneaky Tom Sneaky Tom is a reaction image lifted from the 1950 Tom and Jerry short "Jerry and the Lion," showing Tom slipping through a door with a scheming grin before Jerry beats him up off-screen[1]. The still sat online for years before catching on with image macro communities in mid-2016, turning into the go-to visual for anyone easing into a situation with clearly bad intentions. ## Origin The clip comes from the 1950 Tom and Jerry episode "Jerry and the Lion," where Tom laughs to himself and eases behind a door to plan an ambush before Jerry outsmarts him and starts pounding on him from off-camera[1]. The earliest surfaced posting of the still online was a July 27th, 2013 tweet by @Tweets_2dope, though it did not yet carry any of the caption conventions that would later define the format[3]. The image started working as a proper reaction meme in mid-2016. On June 6th, 2016, Memedroid user derpherpmerp uploaded a version captioned about trying to mend things with an ex-girlfriend, one of the first documented uses of the still with meme-style text on it[2]. - **Platform:** Tom and Jerry (source clip) / Memedroid and Memegenerator (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2016 ## Overview The whole gag rides on Tom's body language. His crouched slide through the half-open door, the wide grin, and the muted evil laugh from the original scene do the storytelling before any caption arrives[1]. Creators cast Tom as the person doing something they shouldn't, and the built-in beating from Jerry that follows the shot gives the joke a punchline the audience already knows is coming. Most versions run as standard top-and-bottom text image macros, with the still framed as Tom sneaking toward an ex, a neighbor's wifi, a fridge raid, or any small act of self-sabotage[2]. The template's flexibility, plus the fact the scene is only a few frames long, let it move easily between meme generator sites and Twitter reaction replies[4]. ## How to Use The template is typically used with brief top-and-bottom caption text over the still. The common convention casts Tom as someone doing a mildly shady thing, with the top line setting the scene and the image itself carrying the punchline. The follow-up in the source clip, Tom getting thrashed by Jerry off-camera, is often treated as an implied ending when the caption describes a plan destined to backfire. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Sneaky Tom? It's a reaction image from the 1950 Tom and Jerry short "Jerry and the Lion," showing Tom slipping through a doorway with a devious grin before Jerry beats him off-screen[1]. ### Where did Sneaky Tom come from? The still is from the 1950 episode "Jerry and the Lion." The earliest posted copy of the image was a July 27th, 2013 tweet, and it started being used as a captioned meme in mid-2016[3]. ### What does Sneaky Tom mean? It's used for anyone quietly slipping into a situation with an obvious ulterior motive, from returning to an ex to stealing wifi to raiding a fridge[2]. ### How do you use Sneaky Tom? Add top-and-bottom text over the still, casting Tom as the schemer and using the caption to describe the small bad thing he is up to[4]. ### Is Sneaky Tom still popular? It's a classic image macro from the 2016 to 2017 era, still recirculated as reaction bait on Twitter and Discord though its peak use was in that window[3]. ## References 1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBwH6AMQNt4]() 2. [https://www.memedroid.com/memes/detail/1702927]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sneaky-tom]() 4. [https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/73622041/TOM-SNEAKING-IN-A-ROOM]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/sneaky-tom Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library