tommyknocker
noun/ˈtɒmiːnɒkə/
Etymology From Cornwall.
1
Arts, Folklore, History, Human sciences, Literature, Media, Publishing, Sciences A mythical creature, like a brownie or leprechaun, believed to live in underground tunnels; later associated with dead miners.
- Then he's down one of these adits, talking to the tommyknockers, more'n likely.2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 335: