Q.
A ‘plum job’ is an excellent job. For some, this might mean high prestige. For others, this is a job where one can make a whole lot of bank without having to work so hard. How did plums find themselves in gilded easy street?

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A.

The expression ‘a plum job’ is rooted in England. We know that Little Jack Horner – snug in his corner –  was thrilled to pull a delicious plum out of a Christmas pie, if not so gracefully with his thumb. A lucky day!

Into the 18^th Century, a ‘plum’ came to represent either a then eye-popping sum of money – £100,000 – or a person in possession of said £££. So, the person with a plum job was indeed on the road to riches.

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Header Art: Jules Ferdinand Medard. Prior to 1925. Still Life with Roses and Plums.