Jacobs join

Posted by Masakim on December 17, 2003

In Reply to: Jacobs join posted by Bookworm on December 17, 2003

: : Can anyone tell me where the phrase 'Jacobs join' comes from

: I believe that the phrase is "Jacob's joy" Here's a link to the discussion, but I don't know if an origin was found. I suggested at the time that it may be a biblical reference.

Jacob's join. What is sometimes called a 'faith supper' in church circles, i.e. the eating equivalent of a bottle party, each participant making a contribution to the communal meal. (Cf. the Aus. and NZ invitation 'Ladies, a plate'.) Miss Margaret Pilkington, of Accrington, Lancashire, a teacher of English, from whom I first heard the term, writes 'evidently belonging to a quite limited region. But no one could suggest an origin for it, though all say it should be Biblical' (P.B., 1976) Such terms are difficult to provide with an etym.; for one thing, some of them are far more widely distributed than one has suspected.
From A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English) by Eric Partridge & Paul Beale