I know of a person who would amuse himself by piercing a hole in someone’s can of Coke, causing an annoying dribble when they tipped it up to drink. You know who you are.
Jesters are not new, nor is drinking, gambling or other social antics, or even novelty gifts. Shared with you here are a selection of puzzle jugs, trick glasses and fuddling cups.
Their earliest form is the Pythagoras cup, named with the belief that Pythagoras designed it in the 6th century to teach moderation. It operates as a siphon – if it is filled beyond a certain point, the liquid will drain out through the base. A 4th century Roman cup (found in Vinkovci, Croatia, shown below) illustrates it further, using the Greek figure of Tantalus, condemned to stand in a pool of water that would recede when he bent to take a drink.
Let us take a side step to Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain and its 14th century fountain of lions. The entire palace was built with a sophisticated hydraulic system that brought water 200m above river level to supply thermal baths, underfloor heating and fountains. At the centre of the palace, linked to the system by four channels, stands 12 lions carrying a water basin. A central pipe slowly fills the basin. Spiralling around it are 12 holes, each connected to a lion. As the basin fills, a lion’s spout is activated every hour. When the ‘clock’ hits 12, the top of the central siphon has been reached and the entire system drains out, ready to start filling again. It’s Pythagoras’s cup, but with incredible accuracy.
While a Pythagoras cup would result in little drinking, a fuddling cup would result in over drinking. Three or more cups were linked together with holes and possibly, in rare cases, hollow handles. Drinking from the right cup allows all to drain, drinking from the wrong cup will likely result in the other cups spilling over.
The most common form is the puzzle jug. With cutouts around their sides, the way to drink from them is by sucking on a spout, with fingers covering the other spouts and holes. The English jugs often include rhymes and sometimes initials and dates suggesting they were popular as wedding gifts.
Lastly, we’ve included a couple of trick glasses. With patterns around the rim that disguise holes, they are similar, yet more sophisticated in appearance, to our prankster’s Coke can.
