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Jam and Jerusalem

Posted by RRC on February 24, 2008 at 17:58:

In Reply to: Jam and Jerusalem posted by Victoria S Dennis on February 24, 2008 at 13:29:

: : Is the phrase "Jam and Jerusalem" recently invented (and mainly created for the TV series)? Or does it have an actual history of being used, as a phrase? What is its history?

: No. I don't know how old it actually is, but "all jam and Jerusalem" is a traditional summing-up of the Women's Institute - one of whose proverbial activities has always been the making of jam to sell for charity at village fetes, and whose anthem is the hymn "Jerusalem" . (VSD)

In the 2003 movie "Calendar Girls", Helen Mirren's character is always complaining in various ways about plum jam and singing Jerusalem. At one point, Geraldine James's character says, "It's not all jam and Jerusalem you know."
Incidentally, in the US, the tv show "Jam and Jerusalem" is titled "Clatterford".

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