I'm watching the movie called Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and I don't get the title. It appears to be some kind of play on words or a double meaning.
First, I thought it was just a list of professions but I'm rejecting that theory based on the absence of commas between the words as well as the capitalization of them. They don't seem to describe each other adjectivisticly, i.e. it's not a soldierish spy who is a tinkering tailor.
As far I can understand the plot, I can definitely fit in the spy and soldier somehow. Tinker might be used as a term for mischiefing kid so it might correspond to the dirty trickery in the domain of espionage but we're getting a bit too creative already. And how tailor would suit the list is a black void to me.
What does the title mean?
Best Answer
A quick search reveals the following information.
(From Wikipedia)
As for the origins of the children's rhyme:
Essentially, it is indeed a list of essentially random professions, in imitation of various historical lines.