A plum job

Posted by Bob on November 10, 2000

In Reply to: A plum job posted by James Briggs on November 08, 2000

: In today's Times there is a headline, concerning the US presidential election, which says "Victory to trigger rush for plum jobs"

: Such strange phrase that I thought I'd share its origin with you all.

:
: If a job is regarded as a plum one then it is considered very desirous. Why "plum"? Plum in the 17th century was slang for £1000, a very large sum indeed in those times. This use was then applied to some political jobs, thought by the man in the street to involve little work for a lot of money. From there the word entered wider use for an easy, choice job.

Ah, but it's also true that "plum" meant soft (with both newly-risen bread and wenches described that way....) so a plum job was a soft job, a metaphor still used today.