tooth fairy

tooth fairy

1. A mythical fairy that exchanges money for children's baby teeth that have fallen out and been placed beneath their pillow at night. My sister believed in the tooth fairy until she was nearly 15. Look, Mom! The tooth fairy left me a whole dollar for my molar last night!
2. Any mythical benefactor or source of money. The tooth fairy isn't going to come along and fund this project for us.
See also: fairy, tooth
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

tooth fairy

A mythical source of bounty, as in So who will finance this venture-the tooth fairy? This expression refers to the fairy credited with leaving money under a child's pillow in place of a baby tooth that has fallen out, a practice popular with American parents since the first half of the 1900s.
See also: fairy, tooth
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • a fairy godmother
  • a/your fairy godmother
  • fairy godmother
  • godmother
  • drop (one's) teeth
  • drop one’s teeth
  • drop teeth
  • lie through (one's) teeth
  • lie through teeth
  • lie through your teeth
References in periodicals archive
How much should the Tooth Fairy be giving your child?
$3.91 -- The South: This year, the Tooth Fairy's funding in the South surpassed that of the Northeast, but still slid by 21 cents per tooth when looking back a year.
Giles Martin, head of savings at Halifax, said: "Kids shouldn't bank on the tooth fairy forever.
It may not be much to others, but I remember really shifting more of my attention to getting a 'reward' from the Tooth Fairy rather than the stress of losing a tooth,' she says.
With help from her friend the Tooth Fairy, the world's top Fairy Godmother looks for a new occupation.
When the tooth fairy comes, maybe she'll put a little surprise in the pocket just for you!
A former big-time hockey player whose career was sidelined by injury, Derek Thompson (Johnson) is known for his aggressive onice antics; he earned the moniker Tooth Fairy for habitually knocking out opponents' teeth.
THE TOOTH FAIRY is turning into a money-spinner for trainer Miqhael Mulvany and his father, Larry, who owns the three-year-old, and Galway is now the plan for the Statue Of Liberty gelding following his length win in the 71/2f Summer Festival Handicap.
Despite the perks of the job (keeping fit, outdoor working, flexi-time), it's a wonder the tooth fairy didn't contract a case of the galloping Scroogitis much earlier.
So either the Tooth Fairy is an expert investor or we may be seeing something analogous to the 'lipstick effect,' where during an economic downturn or recession, the tendency is for consumers to purchase small, comforting items rather than large luxury items."
Children are collectively receiving pounds 23.4 million a year from the tooth fairy, finding an average pounds 1.22 under their pillow for each tooth they lose, a new survey shows.
WHEN I was a kid and a tooth fell out, the tooth fairy would leave a shiny silver sixpence - that's less than three pence in today's money.
Discuss what the tooth fairy might look like and encourage students to illustrate their personal tooth fairy using regular crayons.
'Dad, Are You The Tooth Fairy?' tells the story of young Gaby who hears that the "tooth fairy" is not real, and goes to ask his father.
After struggling with all kinds of conceits and psyches all our life, we no longer believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. There are just good guys and bad guys, and seldom does the twain ever mix.