1915 Merchants Lodge Thumb - Bit Mug
This is a very nice portrait mug! It measures 4/ 3/8 tall
and 2 ˝” at the rim. This piece is a yellow mug with silver rim inside mug
lip. On the front is a photo of George Washington and the surrender of
Cornwallis. On reverse, the mug
reads ”Merchants Lodge; Thumb-Bit; March 11 1915.” Piece is pristine – no
damage whatsoever.
What
is a Thumb - Bit???
A ‘thumb-bit’ is a piece of meat eaten on bread, and
is so called for the obvious reason that the thumb is used to secure the meat in
place. Delightful, isn’t it? Sounds more fun than ‘open sandwich’, doesn’t it?
The word is recorded in A dictionary of archaic and provincial words,
obsolete phrases … (1847). The nineteenth century was a time of great
interest in ‘lost’ English dialects. For added historical interest,
you can, if you wish, use your thumb not to hold the meat on a vapid modern
slice of white foamy stuff, but on a substantial large piece or ‘dad-of-bread.’
This treat is courtesy of Brockett’s Glossary of North Country Words
(1825).
Quotation for the Day.
Too few people understand
a really good sandwich.
James Beard.
A special
"Thank You" to Brother Fred Lowstetter for submitting the pictures of this
beautiful mug to our museum!
