Jug (container)
Encyclopedia
A jug is a type of container
used to hold liquid. It has an opening, often narrow, from which to pour or drink, and nearly always has a handle. One could imagine a jug being made from nearly any watertight material, but most jugs throughout history have been made from clay, glass, or plastic
. Some Native American
and other tribes created liquid holding vessels by making woven baskets lined with an asphaltum sealer. The slang term jug can also be used describe the breast of a woman, short for milk jug.
In American English
usage, a jug is a large container with a narrow mouth and handle for liquids. In British English
, and generally in English speaking countries outside North America
, usage, a jug is any container with a handle and a mouth and spout for liquid - American "pitchers" are more likely to be called jugs elsewhere.
s (just over a litre
) of beer
. It is usually served along with one or more small glasses from which the beer is normally consumed, although in some student
bars it is more common for the beer to be drunk directly from the jug, which is usually served without the accompanying glass. (In the U.S., this may be called a pitcher
-- although few U.S. pitchers are as small as a litre
, generally holding between 64 and 128 U.S. fluid ounce
s, approximately 2-4 litres. In New Zealand and Australia a pitcher likewise refers a much larger measure of beer).
jug in the form of a seated person, or the head of a recognizable person (often an English king). Typically the seated figure is a heavily-set, jovial man holding a mug of beer
in one hand and a pipe of tobacco
in the other and wearing 18th century attire: a long coat and a tricorn hat. The tricorn hat forms a pouring spout, often with a removable lid, and a handle is attached at the rear. Jugs depicting just the head and shoulders of a figure are also referred to as Toby Jugs, although these should strictly be called "Character Jugs".
The original Toby Jug, with a brown salt glaze
, was developed and popularised by Staffordshire potters in the 1760s. It is thought to be a development of similar Delft
jugs that were produced in the Netherlands
. Similar designs were produced by other potteries, first in Staffordshire, then around England
, and eventually in other countries. The Jug in the form of a Head, Self-portrait
by Paul Gaugin is an unusual example from fine art.
There are competing theories for the origin of the name "Toby Jug". It was named after the character of Sir Toby Belch in Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night. He was an intoxicated, jovial man. It was named after a notorious 18th century Yorkshire drinker, Henry Elwes, who was known as "Toby Fillpot" (or Philpot). It was inspired by an old English drinking song, "The Brown Jug", which paid tribute to Toby Fillpot; the popular verses were first published in 1761.
In the book and film "12 O'Clock High!" a Toby Jug depicting Robin Hood is used as a signal in the Officer's Club, to discreetly warn aircrews that there will be a mission the following day, without spilling the beans to outsiders who might be visiting. This Toby Jug plays a pivotal role in the film.
The American Toby Jug Museum is located on Chicago Avenue in Evanston, Illinois.
in the form of a jug. The challenge of the puzzle — to drink the contents without spillage — is often written on the jug. This is certainly impossible to do in the conventional way because the neck of the jug is perforated. Examples of such inscriptions include: Fill me up with licker sweet for it is good when fun us do meet; Gentlemen now try your Skill I'll hold your Sixpence if you Will That you dony drink unless you spill.; Here Gentlemen come try your skill, I'll hold a wager if you will, That you don't drink this liquor all, Without you spill and let some fall.
The earliest example in England
is the Exeter puzzle jug — a fine example of medieval pottery in Britain. The Exeter
puzzle jug dates from about 1300AD and was originally made in Saintonge
, Western France.
Puzzle jugs were popular in homes and taverns. Puzzle jugs were most popular during the 18th and 19th centuries. The quality of pieces varied from quite basic to very fine.
The solution to the puzzle is that the jug has a hidden tube. What looks like the spout is, in fact, one end of a tube which usually runs around the rim of the jug and then down the handle to open inside the jug near the bottom. To obtain the contents, one has to suck on the tube. To make the puzzle more interesting, it was common to provide a number of additional holes on the tube that must be closed off before the contents can be sucked up.
The puzzle jug is a descendant of earlier drinking puzzles, the fuddling cup
and the pot crown; the solution to the conundrum being different in each case.
-like tone. It is often part of a jug band
, to which ensemble it lends its name.
Packaging and labelling
Packaging is the science, art, and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages. Packaging can be described as a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport,...
used to hold liquid. It has an opening, often narrow, from which to pour or drink, and nearly always has a handle. One could imagine a jug being made from nearly any watertight material, but most jugs throughout history have been made from clay, glass, or plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
. Some Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
and other tribes created liquid holding vessels by making woven baskets lined with an asphaltum sealer. The slang term jug can also be used describe the breast of a woman, short for milk jug.
In American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
usage, a jug is a large container with a narrow mouth and handle for liquids. In British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
, and generally in English speaking countries outside North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, usage, a jug is any container with a handle and a mouth and spout for liquid - American "pitchers" are more likely to be called jugs elsewhere.
Beer jug
In certain countries, especially New Zealand and Australia, a 'Jug' refers to a jug (usually plastic) containing exactly 2 pintPint
The pint is a unit of volume or capacity that was once used across much of Europe with values varying from state to state from less than half a litre to over one litre. Within continental Europe, the pint was replaced with the metric system during the nineteenth century...
s (just over a litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
) of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
. It is usually served along with one or more small glasses from which the beer is normally consumed, although in some student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
bars it is more common for the beer to be drunk directly from the jug, which is usually served without the accompanying glass. (In the U.S., this may be called a pitcher
Pitcher (container)
A pitcher is a container with a spout used for storing and pouring contents which are liquid in form. Generally a pitcher also has a handle, which makes pouring easier.A ewer is a vase-shaped pitcher, often decorated, with a base and a flaring spout...
-- although few U.S. pitchers are as small as a litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
, generally holding between 64 and 128 U.S. fluid ounce
Fluid ounce
A fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to about 28.4 mL in the imperial system or about 29.6 mL in the US system. The fluid ounce is distinct from the ounce, which measures mass...
s, approximately 2-4 litres. In New Zealand and Australia a pitcher likewise refers a much larger measure of beer).
Toby Jug
A Toby Jug - also sometimes known as a Fillpot (or Philpot) - is a potteryPottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
jug in the form of a seated person, or the head of a recognizable person (often an English king). Typically the seated figure is a heavily-set, jovial man holding a mug of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
in one hand and a pipe of tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
in the other and wearing 18th century attire: a long coat and a tricorn hat. The tricorn hat forms a pouring spout, often with a removable lid, and a handle is attached at the rear. Jugs depicting just the head and shoulders of a figure are also referred to as Toby Jugs, although these should strictly be called "Character Jugs".
The original Toby Jug, with a brown salt glaze
Ceramic glaze
Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...
, was developed and popularised by Staffordshire potters in the 1760s. It is thought to be a development of similar Delft
Delftware
Delftware, or Delft pottery, denotes blue and white pottery made in and around Delft in the Netherlands and the tin-glazed pottery made in the Netherlands from the 16th century....
jugs that were produced in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Similar designs were produced by other potteries, first in Staffordshire, then around England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and eventually in other countries. The Jug in the form of a Head, Self-portrait
Jug in the form of a Head, Self-portrait
Jug in the form of a Head, Self-portrait was produced in glazed stoneware early in 1889 by the French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin. This self-portrayal is especially stark and brutal, and was created in the aftermath of two traumatic events in the artist's life...
by Paul Gaugin is an unusual example from fine art.
There are competing theories for the origin of the name "Toby Jug". It was named after the character of Sir Toby Belch in Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night. He was an intoxicated, jovial man. It was named after a notorious 18th century Yorkshire drinker, Henry Elwes, who was known as "Toby Fillpot" (or Philpot). It was inspired by an old English drinking song, "The Brown Jug", which paid tribute to Toby Fillpot; the popular verses were first published in 1761.
In the book and film "12 O'Clock High!" a Toby Jug depicting Robin Hood is used as a signal in the Officer's Club, to discreetly warn aircrews that there will be a mission the following day, without spilling the beans to outsiders who might be visiting. This Toby Jug plays a pivotal role in the film.
The American Toby Jug Museum is located on Chicago Avenue in Evanston, Illinois.
Puzzle jug
A puzzle jug is a puzzlePuzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
in the form of a jug. The challenge of the puzzle — to drink the contents without spillage — is often written on the jug. This is certainly impossible to do in the conventional way because the neck of the jug is perforated. Examples of such inscriptions include: Fill me up with licker sweet for it is good when fun us do meet; Gentlemen now try your Skill I'll hold your Sixpence if you Will That you dony drink unless you spill.; Here Gentlemen come try your skill, I'll hold a wager if you will, That you don't drink this liquor all, Without you spill and let some fall.
The earliest example in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
is the Exeter puzzle jug — a fine example of medieval pottery in Britain. The Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
puzzle jug dates from about 1300AD and was originally made in Saintonge
Saintonge
Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
, Western France.
Puzzle jugs were popular in homes and taverns. Puzzle jugs were most popular during the 18th and 19th centuries. The quality of pieces varied from quite basic to very fine.
The solution to the puzzle is that the jug has a hidden tube. What looks like the spout is, in fact, one end of a tube which usually runs around the rim of the jug and then down the handle to open inside the jug near the bottom. To obtain the contents, one has to suck on the tube. To make the puzzle more interesting, it was common to provide a number of additional holes on the tube that must be closed off before the contents can be sucked up.
The puzzle jug is a descendant of earlier drinking puzzles, the fuddling cup
Fuddling cup
A fuddling cup is a three-dimensional puzzle in the form of a drinking-vessel, made of three or more cups or jugs all linked together by holes and tubes. The challenge of the puzzle is to drink from the vessel in such a way that the beverage does not spill. To do this successfully, the cups must be...
and the pot crown; the solution to the conundrum being different in each case.
As a musical instrument
In American folk music, an empty jug is sometimes used as a musical instrument, being played with buzzed lips to produce a tromboneTrombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
-like tone. It is often part of a jug band
Jug band
A Jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments. These home-made instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making of sound, like the washtub bass, washboard, spoons, stovepipe and comb & tissue paper...
, to which ensemble it lends its name.
See also
- Bridge spouted vesselBridge spouted vesselA bridge spouted vessel is a particular design of pitcher originating in antiquity; there is typically a connecting element between the spout and filling aperture, and the spout is a completely independent aperture from the usually smaller central fill opening. Early incidences of the bridge...
- Fuddling cupFuddling cupA fuddling cup is a three-dimensional puzzle in the form of a drinking-vessel, made of three or more cups or jugs all linked together by holes and tubes. The challenge of the puzzle is to drink from the vessel in such a way that the beverage does not spill. To do this successfully, the cups must be...
- Pitcher (container)Pitcher (container)A pitcher is a container with a spout used for storing and pouring contents which are liquid in form. Generally a pitcher also has a handle, which makes pouring easier.A ewer is a vase-shaped pitcher, often decorated, with a base and a flaring spout...
- JerrycanJerrycanA jerrycan is a robust fuel container originally made from pressed steel. It was designed in Germany in the 1930s for military use to hold 20 litres of fuel. The development of the Jerrycan was a huge improvement on earlier designs, which required tools and funnels to use.-Uses:Today similar...
- CarboyCarboyA carboy is a rigid container with a typical capacity of 5 to 15 gallons . Carboys are primarily used for transporting fluids, often water or chemicals.They are also used for in-home fermentation of beverages, often wine.-Brewing:...
Footnotes
- Puzzle jug from the Buckley Heritage Centre.
- Puzzle jug, Liverpool, about 1750.
- The Exeter Puzzle Jug.