1860, Charles Dickens, "The Uncommercial Traveller: Ch IV. Two Views of a Cheap Theatre": "Between the pieces, we almost all of us went out and refreshed. Many of us went the length of drinking beer at the bar of the neighbouring public-house, some of us drank spirits, crowds of us had sandwiches and ginger-beer at the refreshment-bars established for us in the Theatre. The sandwich—as substantial as was consistent with portability, and as cheap as possible—we hailed as one of our greatest institutions. It forced its way among us at all stages of the entertainment, and we were always delighted to see it; its adaptability to the varying moods of our nature was surprising; we could never weep so comfortably as when our tears fell on our sandwich; we could never laugh so heartily as when we choked with sandwich; Virtue never looked so beautiful or Vice so deformed as when we paused, sandwich in hand, to consider what would come of that resolution of Wickedness in boots, to sever Innocence in flowered chintz from Honest Industry in striped stockings. When the curtain fell for the night, we still fell back upon sandwich, to help us through the rain and mire, and home to bed."
Have to say the revamp to 'the greatest thing since sliced bread' rolls off the tongue a lot easier than 'The greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped'!
1860, Charles Dickens, "The Uncommercial Traveller: Ch IV. Two Views of a Cheap Theatre": "Between the pieces, we almost all of us went out and refreshed. Many of us went the length of drinking beer at the bar of the neighbouring public-house, some of us drank spirits, crowds of us had sandwiches and ginger-beer at the refreshment-bars established for us in the Theatre. The sandwich—as substantial as was consistent with portability, and as cheap as possible—we hailed as one of our greatest institutions. It forced its way among us at all stages of the entertainment, and we were always delighted to see it; its adaptability to the varying moods of our nature was surprising; we could never weep so comfortably as when our tears fell on our sandwich; we could never laugh so heartily as when we choked with sandwich; Virtue never looked so beautiful or Vice so deformed as when we paused, sandwich in hand, to consider what would come of that resolution of Wickedness in boots, to sever Innocence in flowered chintz from Honest Industry in striped stockings. When the curtain fell for the night, we still fell back upon sandwich, to help us through the rain and mire, and home to bed."
Ooo - that is a great quote - thank you!
And what of the term “sarney”.
Will investigate...
Have to say the revamp to 'the greatest thing since sliced bread' rolls off the tongue a lot easier than 'The greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped'!
This was a fun read, thank you! I was expecting for the Earl of Sandwich origin story to be debunked (eek, have I just given it away!?)
Me too!