Above is a photograph of yesterday's mystery object shown with all three lids to the compartments opened. It is, of course, a brass snuff box. English, of circa 1800 to 1820. It's purpose is to carry three different grades of snuff. In the largest compartment would be bog standard snuff (wonder where the expression 'bog standard' comes from?) for offering to undiscerning (or possibly undeserving) acquaintances. The middle compartment is for mediocre/goodish snuff to offer to acquaintances who you suspect might know the difference; whilst in the smallest compartment is really good, expensive, snuff, for close (and hopefully deserving) family members; and, of course, for yourself.
3 comments:
Yes, there are many theories about the derivation of ‘bog standard’ – all different, and thus almost certainly all wrong. My favourite (which surprisingly doesn’t figure in my exhaustive ten minutes of google research) is ‘British Or German’, i.e. the standard against which all others are judged. Might have been true in a bygone age.
BTW, I was waiting for Rog to suggest that it was his new bendy iPhone…
I thought bog-standard was an East India Company abbreviation for the 'British Ordinary Grade' standard.
But as Tim says, so many interpretations have been mooted that the origin of the acronym is near impossible to determine.....
but I will go and do a few moments research just to prove you honest, Mike.
That's s'nuff of your brass cheek Timothy!
One day I dream of getting one of Mike's mystery objects vaguely correct
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