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Origin of term 'french letter'?

Posted by Michael pendlebury on September 13, 2000

In Reply to: Origin of term 'french letter'? posted by Jame Briggs on May 02, 2000

: : I would like to know what the origin is of the word French letter (for: condom).

: : The use of the term 'letter' seems quite straightforward: a condom is a bit like an envelope in that it envelopes ...

: : The french have a reputation of being romantic.

: : All this is speculation. I found one place on the Net where it says it dates back to 1856. No more.

: : Corine

: The first contaceptive devices of this type were developed in France. They were made of animal organs - possibly intestine and were later imported into Britain They became known there by their present name. All of this in the early 1800s, I think.

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