Mine’s a gin and tonic





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I encountered a sentence that's full of British culture:




I have found a pair of my father’s old tan driving gloves, the sort that say ‘Mine’s a gin and tonic’ and that my mother would have accessorized with her horsey headscarf from Country Casuals.




I found out that Country Casuals is a brand of clothing, but I don't understand what the phrase ‘Mine’s a gin and tonic’ means... I only know that gin and tonic is a popular drink in the UK, but what does the phrase mean here?



Also, I'm not a hundred percent sure of the meaning of 'horsey' too. The closest definition I believe is 'large and clumsy' but it feels a bit odd in this sentence.










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  • Before I saw you accepted the answer, I presumed your question was what gin and tonic had to do with riding gloves
    – Mr Lister
    Nov 13 at 10:20










  • Note that a google search shows the use of "mine's a gin and tonic" used in all sorts of labels on commercial products as though it means something special, but with little indication of what exactly the implication is. I roughly think of it as a serious or sarcastic enthusiasm for the alcoholic drink.
    – Mitch
    Nov 13 at 16:54

















up vote
26
down vote

favorite












I encountered a sentence that's full of British culture:




I have found a pair of my father’s old tan driving gloves, the sort that say ‘Mine’s a gin and tonic’ and that my mother would have accessorized with her horsey headscarf from Country Casuals.




I found out that Country Casuals is a brand of clothing, but I don't understand what the phrase ‘Mine’s a gin and tonic’ means... I only know that gin and tonic is a popular drink in the UK, but what does the phrase mean here?



Also, I'm not a hundred percent sure of the meaning of 'horsey' too. The closest definition I believe is 'large and clumsy' but it feels a bit odd in this sentence.










share|improve this question






















  • Before I saw you accepted the answer, I presumed your question was what gin and tonic had to do with riding gloves
    – Mr Lister
    Nov 13 at 10:20










  • Note that a google search shows the use of "mine's a gin and tonic" used in all sorts of labels on commercial products as though it means something special, but with little indication of what exactly the implication is. I roughly think of it as a serious or sarcastic enthusiasm for the alcoholic drink.
    – Mitch
    Nov 13 at 16:54













up vote
26
down vote

favorite









up vote
26
down vote

favorite











I encountered a sentence that's full of British culture:




I have found a pair of my father’s old tan driving gloves, the sort that say ‘Mine’s a gin and tonic’ and that my mother would have accessorized with her horsey headscarf from Country Casuals.




I found out that Country Casuals is a brand of clothing, but I don't understand what the phrase ‘Mine’s a gin and tonic’ means... I only know that gin and tonic is a popular drink in the UK, but what does the phrase mean here?



Also, I'm not a hundred percent sure of the meaning of 'horsey' too. The closest definition I believe is 'large and clumsy' but it feels a bit odd in this sentence.










share|improve this question













I encountered a sentence that's full of British culture:




I have found a pair of my father’s old tan driving gloves, the sort that say ‘Mine’s a gin and tonic’ and that my mother would have accessorized with her horsey headscarf from Country Casuals.




I found out that Country Casuals is a brand of clothing, but I don't understand what the phrase ‘Mine’s a gin and tonic’ means... I only know that gin and tonic is a popular drink in the UK, but what does the phrase mean here?



Also, I'm not a hundred percent sure of the meaning of 'horsey' too. The closest definition I believe is 'large and clumsy' but it feels a bit odd in this sentence.







meaning phrase-meaning






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asked Nov 13 at 8:53









Olivia Lo

16625




16625












  • Before I saw you accepted the answer, I presumed your question was what gin and tonic had to do with riding gloves
    – Mr Lister
    Nov 13 at 10:20










  • Note that a google search shows the use of "mine's a gin and tonic" used in all sorts of labels on commercial products as though it means something special, but with little indication of what exactly the implication is. I roughly think of it as a serious or sarcastic enthusiasm for the alcoholic drink.
    – Mitch
    Nov 13 at 16:54


















  • Before I saw you accepted the answer, I presumed your question was what gin and tonic had to do with riding gloves
    – Mr Lister
    Nov 13 at 10:20










  • Note that a google search shows the use of "mine's a gin and tonic" used in all sorts of labels on commercial products as though it means something special, but with little indication of what exactly the implication is. I roughly think of it as a serious or sarcastic enthusiasm for the alcoholic drink.
    – Mitch
    Nov 13 at 16:54
















Before I saw you accepted the answer, I presumed your question was what gin and tonic had to do with riding gloves
– Mr Lister
Nov 13 at 10:20




Before I saw you accepted the answer, I presumed your question was what gin and tonic had to do with riding gloves
– Mr Lister
Nov 13 at 10:20












Note that a google search shows the use of "mine's a gin and tonic" used in all sorts of labels on commercial products as though it means something special, but with little indication of what exactly the implication is. I roughly think of it as a serious or sarcastic enthusiasm for the alcoholic drink.
– Mitch
Nov 13 at 16:54




Note that a google search shows the use of "mine's a gin and tonic" used in all sorts of labels on commercial products as though it means something special, but with little indication of what exactly the implication is. I roughly think of it as a serious or sarcastic enthusiasm for the alcoholic drink.
– Mitch
Nov 13 at 16:54










7 Answers
7






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
28
down vote



accepted











"Mine's a [name of alcoholic beverage]" is said in a pub when someone
is buying a round of drinks.




Example



John: It's my turn to buy a round. What's yours Susan?



Susan: Mine’s a gin and tonic, thanks.



John: What about you Bill?



Bill: Mine's a pint of lager.



Etc.



So:



What's yours? = What drink do you wish to have?



Mine's a ... = I'd like a ...




'Horsey' refers to a certain type of upper-class person who owns and
rides horses




They spend a lot of time outdoors with their horses and the women often wear a headscarf as a protection against the weather.



Below is a photograph of a young H.M. Queen Elizabeth looking at horses whilst wearing a headscarf and gloves. (Edited to add 'gloves')



The Queen (in a headscarf) looking at horses with uniformed riders






share|improve this answer



















  • 26




    It might be worth explicitly adding the class implications to this. Lager versus mixed drinks (the example you've chosen) are a particularly nice 1970s case.
    – origimbo
    Nov 13 at 11:03








  • 8




    This answers one half of the (implicit) question; namely, what the sentence fragment in the title means. But it doesn’t yet tie it to the gloves (“the sort that say …”). As an aside, your use of blockquote formatting is a bit confusing: it seems like you’re quoting somebody. Maybe it would be clearer to put these sections in bold instead.
    – Konrad Rudolph
    Nov 13 at 11:53








  • 12




    "Well, I'm off to do my chores." "What chores?" "Oh thanks very much, mine's a gin & tonic!"
    – Jeremy
    Nov 13 at 12:56






  • 14




    @user240918 There certainly is in the UK. Buying a horse is expensive; and maintaining a horse in stables is even more so. Horses therefore tend to be owned by richer people. This does not necessarily link to class, but they may be an "aspirational" purchase to demonstrate the ability to afford one for your daughter. (Horse riding is overwhelmingly a female hobby/sport in Britain. Like any outdoor sport, caring for a horse in unforgiving of pretension though, leading to the stereotype of the "horsey" woman as being upper-class with a very practical and down-to-earth attitude.
    – Graham
    Nov 13 at 14:04








  • 9




    To add to Graham's point, I wouldn't describe for example a stable-hand as "horsey" even though they obviously work with horses full time. "Horsey" has a very definite upper-class connotation.
    – Daniel Roseman
    Nov 13 at 15:08


















up vote
46
down vote













chasly from UK's answer is correct, I think what the author is really trying to get across is that they're posh, or at least dress that way. A gin and tonic is a popular enough drink with all classes of England now, but if you look like your drink of choice is a G&T then you are definitely not working class.



The picture included in the discussion of the word horsey is of the Queen, I think that's a great choice of picture. It can also mean is interested in horses generally, but I don't think it does in this context.






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  • 1




    That's not the Queen, that's Princess Anne.
    – Martin Bonner
    Nov 13 at 12:17










  • I take it back. You are quite right.
    – Martin Bonner
    Nov 13 at 12:18






  • 4




    It is an old photo of Queen Elizabeth II. Possibly from the late 1960s or 70s
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 13 at 13:03






  • 14




    I don't think this should be a comment, it's actually the correct answer where the accepted one has missed the point. It would be better if you could fully expand it to include the relevant points from chasly's answer.
    – Jack Aidley
    Nov 13 at 13:35


















up vote
20
down vote













To add an answer about the gloves:



Back in the 1950s/60s, gloves with (especially tan-coloured) leather palms were a fashionable accessory for drivers of sports cars and similar vehicles (and those aspiring to them).



(Practical too, providing warmth and grip, in the days before effective heating and padded leather steering wheels.)



Thus they would be an indicator of a similar class of person to the G&T drinker - affluent middle-class, or ostentatiously pretending to be such.






share|improve this answer

















  • 2




    They were known as the "Gin & Jag Brigade." The drink 'must' match the car.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 9:28












  • The fact that the mother merely "accessorizes" with a horsey headscarf indicates to me that they aren't real country toffs. They might still be upper (middle) class, but if so definitely more of the metropolitan sort.
    – AkselA
    Nov 14 at 12:14


















up vote
8
down vote













To add an answer about the gin:



Gin has a long history and so it is not surprising they its social status had varied considerably. In British culture the biggest change was when what had previously been cheap alcohol for working-class Londoners became fashionable amongst British Army officers in India. They had been encouraged to consume quinine as an anti-malarial drug and this was made more palatable by making it into tonic water. It was found that gin made this even more palatable and soon replaced whisky and brandy.



I see from Wikipedia that G&T (as it is often referred to in the UK) is a cocktail. However no one thinks of it like this in the UK. It is just the normal way to serve gin.



All the references in the quote in the question plant us firmly in the 60s-70s-80s. At the time a particular sort of person would have had a particular sort of drink. Since then there had been a gradual trend against stereotypical drinking towards people simply drinking what they like so a drink choice says much less about someone then it used to.






share|improve this answer





















  • If there has been a trend towards drinking what you like I would have thought that a drink choice now says more about someone than it used to, not less. Or am I misunderstanding your point?
    – skomisa
    Nov 14 at 9:40










  • @skomisa - quite the inverse; it now says absolutely nothing. People used to drink what they were expected to drink, to conform to their [perceived] social status.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 9:45










  • @skomisa: Their choice now says more about their tastes and less about their allegiances.
    – PJTraill
    2 days ago


















up vote
6
down vote













Some of the other answers have made headway, as regards the definition of 'mine's a G&T', but the entire point of the quote is really to define this couple in a single sentence.



They are both middle-class, from a time when that was 'more important' to be recognised as such than it is today.



He has gloves which suggest he drove a sports car or Jaguar*, which would define his drink as G&T rather than beer. Her mode of dress would be appropriate to that & a weekend at the horse trials.



It defines an entire class & culture from (probably) the 50s/60s in one sentence.



Below is a comment on the outmoded class-structure in the UK at the time, not my personal opinion...

*This would make him one of the class defined by those not belonging to it as 'The Gin & Jag Brigade'. It was a derogatory description, usually used by those who would prefer beer, even if they could afford the car.



'Horsey' describes the type of person who would attend gymkhanas & horse trials & describes the kind of attire one would wear to those... but (if it were not the author talking about her own mother, but a general perception of those times) could be a double 'attack/criticism' on not only the social class of the woman, but also her (alluded to) visual appearance. Large-framed, broad-hipped, long-faced; similar appearance to the horse she is accustomed to riding, or did in her youth.

Note that even in these times, the description 'horsey' wouldn't ordinarily be applied to someone with merely the physical appearance mentioned above - it would have to go hand-in-hand with the social definition.



Refs for 'the Gin & Jag Brigade'.

I can't find a dictionary definition as yet, but a couple of newspaper reports using it in such a way that it's obvious they fully expect their readership to already be well-aware of the term.



The Telegraph - They can't mean us



The Guardian - Town bristles at 'gin and Jag' slur



Urban Dictionary has a non-authoritive definition



Also... Ask Andy About Clothes but please take your social-responsibility-for-the-easily-offended hard-hat with you to this one, which is full of 'colourful' explanations - though technically just about SFW (safe for work).






share|improve this answer























  • Good answer until I reached the "horsey" bit. I don't think a daughter, it's in the quoted text, would every describe their mother as looking horsey. It would be strange for a daughter to attack and criticise the social class of her very own parents, as she most likely belongs to the same bourgeois or a little higher: the upper-middle class
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 14 at 9:53










  • You're very probably right;) - at the end I swapped from 'the author' to 'general commentary' on how this would probably be perceived at the time.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:08










  • @Mari-LouA - re-cast, hopefully in a better light.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:17










  • I can't find a definition, as such, but it's deeply-embedded in the culture. I found a couple of newspaper reports that use it expecting their readership to know exactly what it means already.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:24


















up vote
1
down vote













Literal answer



In a social setting, it is common to ask people what they are drinking. If there is a group of people, a conversation may go:



"What are you drinking?"



"Beer, and yourself?"



"Mine's a gin and tonic."



Where "mine's" is short for "my drink is".



Why is this in your book



Richard Boston was a politically comedic journalist (akin to Mark Twain or Gary Trudue) who was born in London in 1938. He wrote a beer column which highlighted local/small breweries rather than the big names. This made him popular with the brewers, but he had a secret, he didn't like beer. When they would ask him what beer he was drinking, his reply was "mine's a pink gin." Wikipedia



Pink gin is simply another type of gin, which can be mixed with tonic.



I do not know why the phrase has been changed from the quote. There is another article that quotes him as saying "mine's a gin and tonic" directly: click



I do believe this meaning gives a more nuanced description of the character.



Horsey



As said in other answers, "horsey" is a description of someone who enjoys the less labor intensive aspects of owning a horse.






share|improve this answer





















  • Note "a pink gin" at the time was not another type of gin - it was gin with Angostura Bitters (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters) - a good bar tender would ask the customer if they liked it "in or out" - i.e. a few drops of the bitters left in the glass or swilled around the glass then discarded. In recent years there has been a trend for flavored gins some pink but this was not what he was asking for in the quote.
    – Steve Barnes
    2 days ago










  • @SteveBarnes For argument's sake, and according to Wikipedia, a "true" pink gin is made with Plymouth gin, while the typical gin and tonic was with London gin. A Plymouth gin is sweeter, so the bitters go well with it. And also, I now know more about English gin than anyone needs to know :)
    – Carl
    2 days ago










  • @SteveBarnes The accuracy of mentioning Richard Boston is a little dubious. He did say "pink gin", but did he ever say gin and tonic"? Why does the poplar phrase differ? However, Richard does match the feeling of the OP's quotes well, it answers why we care what the character's gloves say.
    – Carl
    2 days ago


















up vote
-4
down vote













I don't fully agree with chasly from UK. Obviously, horsey is an adjective here, and has nothing to do with 'upper-class' according to wiktionary.






share|improve this answer





















  • Wiktionary doesn't mention anything about context or connotations. It limits itself to providing a definition. The father wore driving gloves, the mother wore headscarves, and clothes from an expensive retailer, there are enough clues here to give us a good general picture of their financial situation.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 14 at 13:12













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7 Answers
7






active

oldest

votes








7 Answers
7






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes








up vote
28
down vote



accepted











"Mine's a [name of alcoholic beverage]" is said in a pub when someone
is buying a round of drinks.




Example



John: It's my turn to buy a round. What's yours Susan?



Susan: Mine’s a gin and tonic, thanks.



John: What about you Bill?



Bill: Mine's a pint of lager.



Etc.



So:



What's yours? = What drink do you wish to have?



Mine's a ... = I'd like a ...




'Horsey' refers to a certain type of upper-class person who owns and
rides horses




They spend a lot of time outdoors with their horses and the women often wear a headscarf as a protection against the weather.



Below is a photograph of a young H.M. Queen Elizabeth looking at horses whilst wearing a headscarf and gloves. (Edited to add 'gloves')



The Queen (in a headscarf) looking at horses with uniformed riders






share|improve this answer



















  • 26




    It might be worth explicitly adding the class implications to this. Lager versus mixed drinks (the example you've chosen) are a particularly nice 1970s case.
    – origimbo
    Nov 13 at 11:03








  • 8




    This answers one half of the (implicit) question; namely, what the sentence fragment in the title means. But it doesn’t yet tie it to the gloves (“the sort that say …”). As an aside, your use of blockquote formatting is a bit confusing: it seems like you’re quoting somebody. Maybe it would be clearer to put these sections in bold instead.
    – Konrad Rudolph
    Nov 13 at 11:53








  • 12




    "Well, I'm off to do my chores." "What chores?" "Oh thanks very much, mine's a gin & tonic!"
    – Jeremy
    Nov 13 at 12:56






  • 14




    @user240918 There certainly is in the UK. Buying a horse is expensive; and maintaining a horse in stables is even more so. Horses therefore tend to be owned by richer people. This does not necessarily link to class, but they may be an "aspirational" purchase to demonstrate the ability to afford one for your daughter. (Horse riding is overwhelmingly a female hobby/sport in Britain. Like any outdoor sport, caring for a horse in unforgiving of pretension though, leading to the stereotype of the "horsey" woman as being upper-class with a very practical and down-to-earth attitude.
    – Graham
    Nov 13 at 14:04








  • 9




    To add to Graham's point, I wouldn't describe for example a stable-hand as "horsey" even though they obviously work with horses full time. "Horsey" has a very definite upper-class connotation.
    – Daniel Roseman
    Nov 13 at 15:08















up vote
28
down vote



accepted











"Mine's a [name of alcoholic beverage]" is said in a pub when someone
is buying a round of drinks.




Example



John: It's my turn to buy a round. What's yours Susan?



Susan: Mine’s a gin and tonic, thanks.



John: What about you Bill?



Bill: Mine's a pint of lager.



Etc.



So:



What's yours? = What drink do you wish to have?



Mine's a ... = I'd like a ...




'Horsey' refers to a certain type of upper-class person who owns and
rides horses




They spend a lot of time outdoors with their horses and the women often wear a headscarf as a protection against the weather.



Below is a photograph of a young H.M. Queen Elizabeth looking at horses whilst wearing a headscarf and gloves. (Edited to add 'gloves')



The Queen (in a headscarf) looking at horses with uniformed riders






share|improve this answer



















  • 26




    It might be worth explicitly adding the class implications to this. Lager versus mixed drinks (the example you've chosen) are a particularly nice 1970s case.
    – origimbo
    Nov 13 at 11:03








  • 8




    This answers one half of the (implicit) question; namely, what the sentence fragment in the title means. But it doesn’t yet tie it to the gloves (“the sort that say …”). As an aside, your use of blockquote formatting is a bit confusing: it seems like you’re quoting somebody. Maybe it would be clearer to put these sections in bold instead.
    – Konrad Rudolph
    Nov 13 at 11:53








  • 12




    "Well, I'm off to do my chores." "What chores?" "Oh thanks very much, mine's a gin & tonic!"
    – Jeremy
    Nov 13 at 12:56






  • 14




    @user240918 There certainly is in the UK. Buying a horse is expensive; and maintaining a horse in stables is even more so. Horses therefore tend to be owned by richer people. This does not necessarily link to class, but they may be an "aspirational" purchase to demonstrate the ability to afford one for your daughter. (Horse riding is overwhelmingly a female hobby/sport in Britain. Like any outdoor sport, caring for a horse in unforgiving of pretension though, leading to the stereotype of the "horsey" woman as being upper-class with a very practical and down-to-earth attitude.
    – Graham
    Nov 13 at 14:04








  • 9




    To add to Graham's point, I wouldn't describe for example a stable-hand as "horsey" even though they obviously work with horses full time. "Horsey" has a very definite upper-class connotation.
    – Daniel Roseman
    Nov 13 at 15:08













up vote
28
down vote



accepted







up vote
28
down vote



accepted







"Mine's a [name of alcoholic beverage]" is said in a pub when someone
is buying a round of drinks.




Example



John: It's my turn to buy a round. What's yours Susan?



Susan: Mine’s a gin and tonic, thanks.



John: What about you Bill?



Bill: Mine's a pint of lager.



Etc.



So:



What's yours? = What drink do you wish to have?



Mine's a ... = I'd like a ...




'Horsey' refers to a certain type of upper-class person who owns and
rides horses




They spend a lot of time outdoors with their horses and the women often wear a headscarf as a protection against the weather.



Below is a photograph of a young H.M. Queen Elizabeth looking at horses whilst wearing a headscarf and gloves. (Edited to add 'gloves')



The Queen (in a headscarf) looking at horses with uniformed riders






share|improve this answer















"Mine's a [name of alcoholic beverage]" is said in a pub when someone
is buying a round of drinks.




Example



John: It's my turn to buy a round. What's yours Susan?



Susan: Mine’s a gin and tonic, thanks.



John: What about you Bill?



Bill: Mine's a pint of lager.



Etc.



So:



What's yours? = What drink do you wish to have?



Mine's a ... = I'd like a ...




'Horsey' refers to a certain type of upper-class person who owns and
rides horses




They spend a lot of time outdoors with their horses and the women often wear a headscarf as a protection against the weather.



Below is a photograph of a young H.M. Queen Elizabeth looking at horses whilst wearing a headscarf and gloves. (Edited to add 'gloves')



The Queen (in a headscarf) looking at horses with uniformed riders







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 2 days ago

























answered Nov 13 at 9:10









chasly from UK

22k12965




22k12965








  • 26




    It might be worth explicitly adding the class implications to this. Lager versus mixed drinks (the example you've chosen) are a particularly nice 1970s case.
    – origimbo
    Nov 13 at 11:03








  • 8




    This answers one half of the (implicit) question; namely, what the sentence fragment in the title means. But it doesn’t yet tie it to the gloves (“the sort that say …”). As an aside, your use of blockquote formatting is a bit confusing: it seems like you’re quoting somebody. Maybe it would be clearer to put these sections in bold instead.
    – Konrad Rudolph
    Nov 13 at 11:53








  • 12




    "Well, I'm off to do my chores." "What chores?" "Oh thanks very much, mine's a gin & tonic!"
    – Jeremy
    Nov 13 at 12:56






  • 14




    @user240918 There certainly is in the UK. Buying a horse is expensive; and maintaining a horse in stables is even more so. Horses therefore tend to be owned by richer people. This does not necessarily link to class, but they may be an "aspirational" purchase to demonstrate the ability to afford one for your daughter. (Horse riding is overwhelmingly a female hobby/sport in Britain. Like any outdoor sport, caring for a horse in unforgiving of pretension though, leading to the stereotype of the "horsey" woman as being upper-class with a very practical and down-to-earth attitude.
    – Graham
    Nov 13 at 14:04








  • 9




    To add to Graham's point, I wouldn't describe for example a stable-hand as "horsey" even though they obviously work with horses full time. "Horsey" has a very definite upper-class connotation.
    – Daniel Roseman
    Nov 13 at 15:08














  • 26




    It might be worth explicitly adding the class implications to this. Lager versus mixed drinks (the example you've chosen) are a particularly nice 1970s case.
    – origimbo
    Nov 13 at 11:03








  • 8




    This answers one half of the (implicit) question; namely, what the sentence fragment in the title means. But it doesn’t yet tie it to the gloves (“the sort that say …”). As an aside, your use of blockquote formatting is a bit confusing: it seems like you’re quoting somebody. Maybe it would be clearer to put these sections in bold instead.
    – Konrad Rudolph
    Nov 13 at 11:53








  • 12




    "Well, I'm off to do my chores." "What chores?" "Oh thanks very much, mine's a gin & tonic!"
    – Jeremy
    Nov 13 at 12:56






  • 14




    @user240918 There certainly is in the UK. Buying a horse is expensive; and maintaining a horse in stables is even more so. Horses therefore tend to be owned by richer people. This does not necessarily link to class, but they may be an "aspirational" purchase to demonstrate the ability to afford one for your daughter. (Horse riding is overwhelmingly a female hobby/sport in Britain. Like any outdoor sport, caring for a horse in unforgiving of pretension though, leading to the stereotype of the "horsey" woman as being upper-class with a very practical and down-to-earth attitude.
    – Graham
    Nov 13 at 14:04








  • 9




    To add to Graham's point, I wouldn't describe for example a stable-hand as "horsey" even though they obviously work with horses full time. "Horsey" has a very definite upper-class connotation.
    – Daniel Roseman
    Nov 13 at 15:08








26




26




It might be worth explicitly adding the class implications to this. Lager versus mixed drinks (the example you've chosen) are a particularly nice 1970s case.
– origimbo
Nov 13 at 11:03






It might be worth explicitly adding the class implications to this. Lager versus mixed drinks (the example you've chosen) are a particularly nice 1970s case.
– origimbo
Nov 13 at 11:03






8




8




This answers one half of the (implicit) question; namely, what the sentence fragment in the title means. But it doesn’t yet tie it to the gloves (“the sort that say …”). As an aside, your use of blockquote formatting is a bit confusing: it seems like you’re quoting somebody. Maybe it would be clearer to put these sections in bold instead.
– Konrad Rudolph
Nov 13 at 11:53






This answers one half of the (implicit) question; namely, what the sentence fragment in the title means. But it doesn’t yet tie it to the gloves (“the sort that say …”). As an aside, your use of blockquote formatting is a bit confusing: it seems like you’re quoting somebody. Maybe it would be clearer to put these sections in bold instead.
– Konrad Rudolph
Nov 13 at 11:53






12




12




"Well, I'm off to do my chores." "What chores?" "Oh thanks very much, mine's a gin & tonic!"
– Jeremy
Nov 13 at 12:56




"Well, I'm off to do my chores." "What chores?" "Oh thanks very much, mine's a gin & tonic!"
– Jeremy
Nov 13 at 12:56




14




14




@user240918 There certainly is in the UK. Buying a horse is expensive; and maintaining a horse in stables is even more so. Horses therefore tend to be owned by richer people. This does not necessarily link to class, but they may be an "aspirational" purchase to demonstrate the ability to afford one for your daughter. (Horse riding is overwhelmingly a female hobby/sport in Britain. Like any outdoor sport, caring for a horse in unforgiving of pretension though, leading to the stereotype of the "horsey" woman as being upper-class with a very practical and down-to-earth attitude.
– Graham
Nov 13 at 14:04






@user240918 There certainly is in the UK. Buying a horse is expensive; and maintaining a horse in stables is even more so. Horses therefore tend to be owned by richer people. This does not necessarily link to class, but they may be an "aspirational" purchase to demonstrate the ability to afford one for your daughter. (Horse riding is overwhelmingly a female hobby/sport in Britain. Like any outdoor sport, caring for a horse in unforgiving of pretension though, leading to the stereotype of the "horsey" woman as being upper-class with a very practical and down-to-earth attitude.
– Graham
Nov 13 at 14:04






9




9




To add to Graham's point, I wouldn't describe for example a stable-hand as "horsey" even though they obviously work with horses full time. "Horsey" has a very definite upper-class connotation.
– Daniel Roseman
Nov 13 at 15:08




To add to Graham's point, I wouldn't describe for example a stable-hand as "horsey" even though they obviously work with horses full time. "Horsey" has a very definite upper-class connotation.
– Daniel Roseman
Nov 13 at 15:08












up vote
46
down vote













chasly from UK's answer is correct, I think what the author is really trying to get across is that they're posh, or at least dress that way. A gin and tonic is a popular enough drink with all classes of England now, but if you look like your drink of choice is a G&T then you are definitely not working class.



The picture included in the discussion of the word horsey is of the Queen, I think that's a great choice of picture. It can also mean is interested in horses generally, but I don't think it does in this context.






share|improve this answer










New contributor




user324066 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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  • 1




    That's not the Queen, that's Princess Anne.
    – Martin Bonner
    Nov 13 at 12:17










  • I take it back. You are quite right.
    – Martin Bonner
    Nov 13 at 12:18






  • 4




    It is an old photo of Queen Elizabeth II. Possibly from the late 1960s or 70s
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 13 at 13:03






  • 14




    I don't think this should be a comment, it's actually the correct answer where the accepted one has missed the point. It would be better if you could fully expand it to include the relevant points from chasly's answer.
    – Jack Aidley
    Nov 13 at 13:35















up vote
46
down vote













chasly from UK's answer is correct, I think what the author is really trying to get across is that they're posh, or at least dress that way. A gin and tonic is a popular enough drink with all classes of England now, but if you look like your drink of choice is a G&T then you are definitely not working class.



The picture included in the discussion of the word horsey is of the Queen, I think that's a great choice of picture. It can also mean is interested in horses generally, but I don't think it does in this context.






share|improve this answer










New contributor




user324066 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.














  • 1




    That's not the Queen, that's Princess Anne.
    – Martin Bonner
    Nov 13 at 12:17










  • I take it back. You are quite right.
    – Martin Bonner
    Nov 13 at 12:18






  • 4




    It is an old photo of Queen Elizabeth II. Possibly from the late 1960s or 70s
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 13 at 13:03






  • 14




    I don't think this should be a comment, it's actually the correct answer where the accepted one has missed the point. It would be better if you could fully expand it to include the relevant points from chasly's answer.
    – Jack Aidley
    Nov 13 at 13:35













up vote
46
down vote










up vote
46
down vote









chasly from UK's answer is correct, I think what the author is really trying to get across is that they're posh, or at least dress that way. A gin and tonic is a popular enough drink with all classes of England now, but if you look like your drink of choice is a G&T then you are definitely not working class.



The picture included in the discussion of the word horsey is of the Queen, I think that's a great choice of picture. It can also mean is interested in horses generally, but I don't think it does in this context.






share|improve this answer










New contributor




user324066 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









chasly from UK's answer is correct, I think what the author is really trying to get across is that they're posh, or at least dress that way. A gin and tonic is a popular enough drink with all classes of England now, but if you look like your drink of choice is a G&T then you are definitely not working class.



The picture included in the discussion of the word horsey is of the Queen, I think that's a great choice of picture. It can also mean is interested in horses generally, but I don't think it does in this context.







share|improve this answer










New contributor




user324066 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 2 days ago









J.R.

54.7k582183




54.7k582183






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Check out our Code of Conduct.









answered Nov 13 at 12:13









user324066

39113




39113




New contributor




user324066 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





user324066 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






user324066 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1




    That's not the Queen, that's Princess Anne.
    – Martin Bonner
    Nov 13 at 12:17










  • I take it back. You are quite right.
    – Martin Bonner
    Nov 13 at 12:18






  • 4




    It is an old photo of Queen Elizabeth II. Possibly from the late 1960s or 70s
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 13 at 13:03






  • 14




    I don't think this should be a comment, it's actually the correct answer where the accepted one has missed the point. It would be better if you could fully expand it to include the relevant points from chasly's answer.
    – Jack Aidley
    Nov 13 at 13:35














  • 1




    That's not the Queen, that's Princess Anne.
    – Martin Bonner
    Nov 13 at 12:17










  • I take it back. You are quite right.
    – Martin Bonner
    Nov 13 at 12:18






  • 4




    It is an old photo of Queen Elizabeth II. Possibly from the late 1960s or 70s
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 13 at 13:03






  • 14




    I don't think this should be a comment, it's actually the correct answer where the accepted one has missed the point. It would be better if you could fully expand it to include the relevant points from chasly's answer.
    – Jack Aidley
    Nov 13 at 13:35








1




1




That's not the Queen, that's Princess Anne.
– Martin Bonner
Nov 13 at 12:17




That's not the Queen, that's Princess Anne.
– Martin Bonner
Nov 13 at 12:17












I take it back. You are quite right.
– Martin Bonner
Nov 13 at 12:18




I take it back. You are quite right.
– Martin Bonner
Nov 13 at 12:18




4




4




It is an old photo of Queen Elizabeth II. Possibly from the late 1960s or 70s
– Mari-Lou A
Nov 13 at 13:03




It is an old photo of Queen Elizabeth II. Possibly from the late 1960s or 70s
– Mari-Lou A
Nov 13 at 13:03




14




14




I don't think this should be a comment, it's actually the correct answer where the accepted one has missed the point. It would be better if you could fully expand it to include the relevant points from chasly's answer.
– Jack Aidley
Nov 13 at 13:35




I don't think this should be a comment, it's actually the correct answer where the accepted one has missed the point. It would be better if you could fully expand it to include the relevant points from chasly's answer.
– Jack Aidley
Nov 13 at 13:35










up vote
20
down vote













To add an answer about the gloves:



Back in the 1950s/60s, gloves with (especially tan-coloured) leather palms were a fashionable accessory for drivers of sports cars and similar vehicles (and those aspiring to them).



(Practical too, providing warmth and grip, in the days before effective heating and padded leather steering wheels.)



Thus they would be an indicator of a similar class of person to the G&T drinker - affluent middle-class, or ostentatiously pretending to be such.






share|improve this answer

















  • 2




    They were known as the "Gin & Jag Brigade." The drink 'must' match the car.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 9:28












  • The fact that the mother merely "accessorizes" with a horsey headscarf indicates to me that they aren't real country toffs. They might still be upper (middle) class, but if so definitely more of the metropolitan sort.
    – AkselA
    Nov 14 at 12:14















up vote
20
down vote













To add an answer about the gloves:



Back in the 1950s/60s, gloves with (especially tan-coloured) leather palms were a fashionable accessory for drivers of sports cars and similar vehicles (and those aspiring to them).



(Practical too, providing warmth and grip, in the days before effective heating and padded leather steering wheels.)



Thus they would be an indicator of a similar class of person to the G&T drinker - affluent middle-class, or ostentatiously pretending to be such.






share|improve this answer

















  • 2




    They were known as the "Gin & Jag Brigade." The drink 'must' match the car.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 9:28












  • The fact that the mother merely "accessorizes" with a horsey headscarf indicates to me that they aren't real country toffs. They might still be upper (middle) class, but if so definitely more of the metropolitan sort.
    – AkselA
    Nov 14 at 12:14













up vote
20
down vote










up vote
20
down vote









To add an answer about the gloves:



Back in the 1950s/60s, gloves with (especially tan-coloured) leather palms were a fashionable accessory for drivers of sports cars and similar vehicles (and those aspiring to them).



(Practical too, providing warmth and grip, in the days before effective heating and padded leather steering wheels.)



Thus they would be an indicator of a similar class of person to the G&T drinker - affluent middle-class, or ostentatiously pretending to be such.






share|improve this answer












To add an answer about the gloves:



Back in the 1950s/60s, gloves with (especially tan-coloured) leather palms were a fashionable accessory for drivers of sports cars and similar vehicles (and those aspiring to them).



(Practical too, providing warmth and grip, in the days before effective heating and padded leather steering wheels.)



Thus they would be an indicator of a similar class of person to the G&T drinker - affluent middle-class, or ostentatiously pretending to be such.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Nov 13 at 15:27









DavidR

2,644910




2,644910








  • 2




    They were known as the "Gin & Jag Brigade." The drink 'must' match the car.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 9:28












  • The fact that the mother merely "accessorizes" with a horsey headscarf indicates to me that they aren't real country toffs. They might still be upper (middle) class, but if so definitely more of the metropolitan sort.
    – AkselA
    Nov 14 at 12:14














  • 2




    They were known as the "Gin & Jag Brigade." The drink 'must' match the car.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 9:28












  • The fact that the mother merely "accessorizes" with a horsey headscarf indicates to me that they aren't real country toffs. They might still be upper (middle) class, but if so definitely more of the metropolitan sort.
    – AkselA
    Nov 14 at 12:14








2




2




They were known as the "Gin & Jag Brigade." The drink 'must' match the car.
– Tetsujin
Nov 14 at 9:28






They were known as the "Gin & Jag Brigade." The drink 'must' match the car.
– Tetsujin
Nov 14 at 9:28














The fact that the mother merely "accessorizes" with a horsey headscarf indicates to me that they aren't real country toffs. They might still be upper (middle) class, but if so definitely more of the metropolitan sort.
– AkselA
Nov 14 at 12:14




The fact that the mother merely "accessorizes" with a horsey headscarf indicates to me that they aren't real country toffs. They might still be upper (middle) class, but if so definitely more of the metropolitan sort.
– AkselA
Nov 14 at 12:14










up vote
8
down vote













To add an answer about the gin:



Gin has a long history and so it is not surprising they its social status had varied considerably. In British culture the biggest change was when what had previously been cheap alcohol for working-class Londoners became fashionable amongst British Army officers in India. They had been encouraged to consume quinine as an anti-malarial drug and this was made more palatable by making it into tonic water. It was found that gin made this even more palatable and soon replaced whisky and brandy.



I see from Wikipedia that G&T (as it is often referred to in the UK) is a cocktail. However no one thinks of it like this in the UK. It is just the normal way to serve gin.



All the references in the quote in the question plant us firmly in the 60s-70s-80s. At the time a particular sort of person would have had a particular sort of drink. Since then there had been a gradual trend against stereotypical drinking towards people simply drinking what they like so a drink choice says much less about someone then it used to.






share|improve this answer





















  • If there has been a trend towards drinking what you like I would have thought that a drink choice now says more about someone than it used to, not less. Or am I misunderstanding your point?
    – skomisa
    Nov 14 at 9:40










  • @skomisa - quite the inverse; it now says absolutely nothing. People used to drink what they were expected to drink, to conform to their [perceived] social status.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 9:45










  • @skomisa: Their choice now says more about their tastes and less about their allegiances.
    – PJTraill
    2 days ago















up vote
8
down vote













To add an answer about the gin:



Gin has a long history and so it is not surprising they its social status had varied considerably. In British culture the biggest change was when what had previously been cheap alcohol for working-class Londoners became fashionable amongst British Army officers in India. They had been encouraged to consume quinine as an anti-malarial drug and this was made more palatable by making it into tonic water. It was found that gin made this even more palatable and soon replaced whisky and brandy.



I see from Wikipedia that G&T (as it is often referred to in the UK) is a cocktail. However no one thinks of it like this in the UK. It is just the normal way to serve gin.



All the references in the quote in the question plant us firmly in the 60s-70s-80s. At the time a particular sort of person would have had a particular sort of drink. Since then there had been a gradual trend against stereotypical drinking towards people simply drinking what they like so a drink choice says much less about someone then it used to.






share|improve this answer





















  • If there has been a trend towards drinking what you like I would have thought that a drink choice now says more about someone than it used to, not less. Or am I misunderstanding your point?
    – skomisa
    Nov 14 at 9:40










  • @skomisa - quite the inverse; it now says absolutely nothing. People used to drink what they were expected to drink, to conform to their [perceived] social status.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 9:45










  • @skomisa: Their choice now says more about their tastes and less about their allegiances.
    – PJTraill
    2 days ago













up vote
8
down vote










up vote
8
down vote









To add an answer about the gin:



Gin has a long history and so it is not surprising they its social status had varied considerably. In British culture the biggest change was when what had previously been cheap alcohol for working-class Londoners became fashionable amongst British Army officers in India. They had been encouraged to consume quinine as an anti-malarial drug and this was made more palatable by making it into tonic water. It was found that gin made this even more palatable and soon replaced whisky and brandy.



I see from Wikipedia that G&T (as it is often referred to in the UK) is a cocktail. However no one thinks of it like this in the UK. It is just the normal way to serve gin.



All the references in the quote in the question plant us firmly in the 60s-70s-80s. At the time a particular sort of person would have had a particular sort of drink. Since then there had been a gradual trend against stereotypical drinking towards people simply drinking what they like so a drink choice says much less about someone then it used to.






share|improve this answer












To add an answer about the gin:



Gin has a long history and so it is not surprising they its social status had varied considerably. In British culture the biggest change was when what had previously been cheap alcohol for working-class Londoners became fashionable amongst British Army officers in India. They had been encouraged to consume quinine as an anti-malarial drug and this was made more palatable by making it into tonic water. It was found that gin made this even more palatable and soon replaced whisky and brandy.



I see from Wikipedia that G&T (as it is often referred to in the UK) is a cocktail. However no one thinks of it like this in the UK. It is just the normal way to serve gin.



All the references in the quote in the question plant us firmly in the 60s-70s-80s. At the time a particular sort of person would have had a particular sort of drink. Since then there had been a gradual trend against stereotypical drinking towards people simply drinking what they like so a drink choice says much less about someone then it used to.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Nov 13 at 16:47









David Robinson

1,472213




1,472213












  • If there has been a trend towards drinking what you like I would have thought that a drink choice now says more about someone than it used to, not less. Or am I misunderstanding your point?
    – skomisa
    Nov 14 at 9:40










  • @skomisa - quite the inverse; it now says absolutely nothing. People used to drink what they were expected to drink, to conform to their [perceived] social status.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 9:45










  • @skomisa: Their choice now says more about their tastes and less about their allegiances.
    – PJTraill
    2 days ago


















  • If there has been a trend towards drinking what you like I would have thought that a drink choice now says more about someone than it used to, not less. Or am I misunderstanding your point?
    – skomisa
    Nov 14 at 9:40










  • @skomisa - quite the inverse; it now says absolutely nothing. People used to drink what they were expected to drink, to conform to their [perceived] social status.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 9:45










  • @skomisa: Their choice now says more about their tastes and less about their allegiances.
    – PJTraill
    2 days ago
















If there has been a trend towards drinking what you like I would have thought that a drink choice now says more about someone than it used to, not less. Or am I misunderstanding your point?
– skomisa
Nov 14 at 9:40




If there has been a trend towards drinking what you like I would have thought that a drink choice now says more about someone than it used to, not less. Or am I misunderstanding your point?
– skomisa
Nov 14 at 9:40












@skomisa - quite the inverse; it now says absolutely nothing. People used to drink what they were expected to drink, to conform to their [perceived] social status.
– Tetsujin
Nov 14 at 9:45




@skomisa - quite the inverse; it now says absolutely nothing. People used to drink what they were expected to drink, to conform to their [perceived] social status.
– Tetsujin
Nov 14 at 9:45












@skomisa: Their choice now says more about their tastes and less about their allegiances.
– PJTraill
2 days ago




@skomisa: Their choice now says more about their tastes and less about their allegiances.
– PJTraill
2 days ago










up vote
6
down vote













Some of the other answers have made headway, as regards the definition of 'mine's a G&T', but the entire point of the quote is really to define this couple in a single sentence.



They are both middle-class, from a time when that was 'more important' to be recognised as such than it is today.



He has gloves which suggest he drove a sports car or Jaguar*, which would define his drink as G&T rather than beer. Her mode of dress would be appropriate to that & a weekend at the horse trials.



It defines an entire class & culture from (probably) the 50s/60s in one sentence.



Below is a comment on the outmoded class-structure in the UK at the time, not my personal opinion...

*This would make him one of the class defined by those not belonging to it as 'The Gin & Jag Brigade'. It was a derogatory description, usually used by those who would prefer beer, even if they could afford the car.



'Horsey' describes the type of person who would attend gymkhanas & horse trials & describes the kind of attire one would wear to those... but (if it were not the author talking about her own mother, but a general perception of those times) could be a double 'attack/criticism' on not only the social class of the woman, but also her (alluded to) visual appearance. Large-framed, broad-hipped, long-faced; similar appearance to the horse she is accustomed to riding, or did in her youth.

Note that even in these times, the description 'horsey' wouldn't ordinarily be applied to someone with merely the physical appearance mentioned above - it would have to go hand-in-hand with the social definition.



Refs for 'the Gin & Jag Brigade'.

I can't find a dictionary definition as yet, but a couple of newspaper reports using it in such a way that it's obvious they fully expect their readership to already be well-aware of the term.



The Telegraph - They can't mean us



The Guardian - Town bristles at 'gin and Jag' slur



Urban Dictionary has a non-authoritive definition



Also... Ask Andy About Clothes but please take your social-responsibility-for-the-easily-offended hard-hat with you to this one, which is full of 'colourful' explanations - though technically just about SFW (safe for work).






share|improve this answer























  • Good answer until I reached the "horsey" bit. I don't think a daughter, it's in the quoted text, would every describe their mother as looking horsey. It would be strange for a daughter to attack and criticise the social class of her very own parents, as she most likely belongs to the same bourgeois or a little higher: the upper-middle class
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 14 at 9:53










  • You're very probably right;) - at the end I swapped from 'the author' to 'general commentary' on how this would probably be perceived at the time.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:08










  • @Mari-LouA - re-cast, hopefully in a better light.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:17










  • I can't find a definition, as such, but it's deeply-embedded in the culture. I found a couple of newspaper reports that use it expecting their readership to know exactly what it means already.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:24















up vote
6
down vote













Some of the other answers have made headway, as regards the definition of 'mine's a G&T', but the entire point of the quote is really to define this couple in a single sentence.



They are both middle-class, from a time when that was 'more important' to be recognised as such than it is today.



He has gloves which suggest he drove a sports car or Jaguar*, which would define his drink as G&T rather than beer. Her mode of dress would be appropriate to that & a weekend at the horse trials.



It defines an entire class & culture from (probably) the 50s/60s in one sentence.



Below is a comment on the outmoded class-structure in the UK at the time, not my personal opinion...

*This would make him one of the class defined by those not belonging to it as 'The Gin & Jag Brigade'. It was a derogatory description, usually used by those who would prefer beer, even if they could afford the car.



'Horsey' describes the type of person who would attend gymkhanas & horse trials & describes the kind of attire one would wear to those... but (if it were not the author talking about her own mother, but a general perception of those times) could be a double 'attack/criticism' on not only the social class of the woman, but also her (alluded to) visual appearance. Large-framed, broad-hipped, long-faced; similar appearance to the horse she is accustomed to riding, or did in her youth.

Note that even in these times, the description 'horsey' wouldn't ordinarily be applied to someone with merely the physical appearance mentioned above - it would have to go hand-in-hand with the social definition.



Refs for 'the Gin & Jag Brigade'.

I can't find a dictionary definition as yet, but a couple of newspaper reports using it in such a way that it's obvious they fully expect their readership to already be well-aware of the term.



The Telegraph - They can't mean us



The Guardian - Town bristles at 'gin and Jag' slur



Urban Dictionary has a non-authoritive definition



Also... Ask Andy About Clothes but please take your social-responsibility-for-the-easily-offended hard-hat with you to this one, which is full of 'colourful' explanations - though technically just about SFW (safe for work).






share|improve this answer























  • Good answer until I reached the "horsey" bit. I don't think a daughter, it's in the quoted text, would every describe their mother as looking horsey. It would be strange for a daughter to attack and criticise the social class of her very own parents, as she most likely belongs to the same bourgeois or a little higher: the upper-middle class
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 14 at 9:53










  • You're very probably right;) - at the end I swapped from 'the author' to 'general commentary' on how this would probably be perceived at the time.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:08










  • @Mari-LouA - re-cast, hopefully in a better light.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:17










  • I can't find a definition, as such, but it's deeply-embedded in the culture. I found a couple of newspaper reports that use it expecting their readership to know exactly what it means already.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:24













up vote
6
down vote










up vote
6
down vote









Some of the other answers have made headway, as regards the definition of 'mine's a G&T', but the entire point of the quote is really to define this couple in a single sentence.



They are both middle-class, from a time when that was 'more important' to be recognised as such than it is today.



He has gloves which suggest he drove a sports car or Jaguar*, which would define his drink as G&T rather than beer. Her mode of dress would be appropriate to that & a weekend at the horse trials.



It defines an entire class & culture from (probably) the 50s/60s in one sentence.



Below is a comment on the outmoded class-structure in the UK at the time, not my personal opinion...

*This would make him one of the class defined by those not belonging to it as 'The Gin & Jag Brigade'. It was a derogatory description, usually used by those who would prefer beer, even if they could afford the car.



'Horsey' describes the type of person who would attend gymkhanas & horse trials & describes the kind of attire one would wear to those... but (if it were not the author talking about her own mother, but a general perception of those times) could be a double 'attack/criticism' on not only the social class of the woman, but also her (alluded to) visual appearance. Large-framed, broad-hipped, long-faced; similar appearance to the horse she is accustomed to riding, or did in her youth.

Note that even in these times, the description 'horsey' wouldn't ordinarily be applied to someone with merely the physical appearance mentioned above - it would have to go hand-in-hand with the social definition.



Refs for 'the Gin & Jag Brigade'.

I can't find a dictionary definition as yet, but a couple of newspaper reports using it in such a way that it's obvious they fully expect their readership to already be well-aware of the term.



The Telegraph - They can't mean us



The Guardian - Town bristles at 'gin and Jag' slur



Urban Dictionary has a non-authoritive definition



Also... Ask Andy About Clothes but please take your social-responsibility-for-the-easily-offended hard-hat with you to this one, which is full of 'colourful' explanations - though technically just about SFW (safe for work).






share|improve this answer














Some of the other answers have made headway, as regards the definition of 'mine's a G&T', but the entire point of the quote is really to define this couple in a single sentence.



They are both middle-class, from a time when that was 'more important' to be recognised as such than it is today.



He has gloves which suggest he drove a sports car or Jaguar*, which would define his drink as G&T rather than beer. Her mode of dress would be appropriate to that & a weekend at the horse trials.



It defines an entire class & culture from (probably) the 50s/60s in one sentence.



Below is a comment on the outmoded class-structure in the UK at the time, not my personal opinion...

*This would make him one of the class defined by those not belonging to it as 'The Gin & Jag Brigade'. It was a derogatory description, usually used by those who would prefer beer, even if they could afford the car.



'Horsey' describes the type of person who would attend gymkhanas & horse trials & describes the kind of attire one would wear to those... but (if it were not the author talking about her own mother, but a general perception of those times) could be a double 'attack/criticism' on not only the social class of the woman, but also her (alluded to) visual appearance. Large-framed, broad-hipped, long-faced; similar appearance to the horse she is accustomed to riding, or did in her youth.

Note that even in these times, the description 'horsey' wouldn't ordinarily be applied to someone with merely the physical appearance mentioned above - it would have to go hand-in-hand with the social definition.



Refs for 'the Gin & Jag Brigade'.

I can't find a dictionary definition as yet, but a couple of newspaper reports using it in such a way that it's obvious they fully expect their readership to already be well-aware of the term.



The Telegraph - They can't mean us



The Guardian - Town bristles at 'gin and Jag' slur



Urban Dictionary has a non-authoritive definition



Also... Ask Andy About Clothes but please take your social-responsibility-for-the-easily-offended hard-hat with you to this one, which is full of 'colourful' explanations - though technically just about SFW (safe for work).







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Nov 14 at 11:07

























answered Nov 14 at 9:42









Tetsujin

1907




1907












  • Good answer until I reached the "horsey" bit. I don't think a daughter, it's in the quoted text, would every describe their mother as looking horsey. It would be strange for a daughter to attack and criticise the social class of her very own parents, as she most likely belongs to the same bourgeois or a little higher: the upper-middle class
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 14 at 9:53










  • You're very probably right;) - at the end I swapped from 'the author' to 'general commentary' on how this would probably be perceived at the time.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:08










  • @Mari-LouA - re-cast, hopefully in a better light.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:17










  • I can't find a definition, as such, but it's deeply-embedded in the culture. I found a couple of newspaper reports that use it expecting their readership to know exactly what it means already.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:24


















  • Good answer until I reached the "horsey" bit. I don't think a daughter, it's in the quoted text, would every describe their mother as looking horsey. It would be strange for a daughter to attack and criticise the social class of her very own parents, as she most likely belongs to the same bourgeois or a little higher: the upper-middle class
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 14 at 9:53










  • You're very probably right;) - at the end I swapped from 'the author' to 'general commentary' on how this would probably be perceived at the time.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:08










  • @Mari-LouA - re-cast, hopefully in a better light.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:17










  • I can't find a definition, as such, but it's deeply-embedded in the culture. I found a couple of newspaper reports that use it expecting their readership to know exactly what it means already.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 14 at 10:24
















Good answer until I reached the "horsey" bit. I don't think a daughter, it's in the quoted text, would every describe their mother as looking horsey. It would be strange for a daughter to attack and criticise the social class of her very own parents, as she most likely belongs to the same bourgeois or a little higher: the upper-middle class
– Mari-Lou A
Nov 14 at 9:53




Good answer until I reached the "horsey" bit. I don't think a daughter, it's in the quoted text, would every describe their mother as looking horsey. It would be strange for a daughter to attack and criticise the social class of her very own parents, as she most likely belongs to the same bourgeois or a little higher: the upper-middle class
– Mari-Lou A
Nov 14 at 9:53












You're very probably right;) - at the end I swapped from 'the author' to 'general commentary' on how this would probably be perceived at the time.
– Tetsujin
Nov 14 at 10:08




You're very probably right;) - at the end I swapped from 'the author' to 'general commentary' on how this would probably be perceived at the time.
– Tetsujin
Nov 14 at 10:08












@Mari-LouA - re-cast, hopefully in a better light.
– Tetsujin
Nov 14 at 10:17




@Mari-LouA - re-cast, hopefully in a better light.
– Tetsujin
Nov 14 at 10:17












I can't find a definition, as such, but it's deeply-embedded in the culture. I found a couple of newspaper reports that use it expecting their readership to know exactly what it means already.
– Tetsujin
Nov 14 at 10:24




I can't find a definition, as such, but it's deeply-embedded in the culture. I found a couple of newspaper reports that use it expecting their readership to know exactly what it means already.
– Tetsujin
Nov 14 at 10:24










up vote
1
down vote













Literal answer



In a social setting, it is common to ask people what they are drinking. If there is a group of people, a conversation may go:



"What are you drinking?"



"Beer, and yourself?"



"Mine's a gin and tonic."



Where "mine's" is short for "my drink is".



Why is this in your book



Richard Boston was a politically comedic journalist (akin to Mark Twain or Gary Trudue) who was born in London in 1938. He wrote a beer column which highlighted local/small breweries rather than the big names. This made him popular with the brewers, but he had a secret, he didn't like beer. When they would ask him what beer he was drinking, his reply was "mine's a pink gin." Wikipedia



Pink gin is simply another type of gin, which can be mixed with tonic.



I do not know why the phrase has been changed from the quote. There is another article that quotes him as saying "mine's a gin and tonic" directly: click



I do believe this meaning gives a more nuanced description of the character.



Horsey



As said in other answers, "horsey" is a description of someone who enjoys the less labor intensive aspects of owning a horse.






share|improve this answer





















  • Note "a pink gin" at the time was not another type of gin - it was gin with Angostura Bitters (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters) - a good bar tender would ask the customer if they liked it "in or out" - i.e. a few drops of the bitters left in the glass or swilled around the glass then discarded. In recent years there has been a trend for flavored gins some pink but this was not what he was asking for in the quote.
    – Steve Barnes
    2 days ago










  • @SteveBarnes For argument's sake, and according to Wikipedia, a "true" pink gin is made with Plymouth gin, while the typical gin and tonic was with London gin. A Plymouth gin is sweeter, so the bitters go well with it. And also, I now know more about English gin than anyone needs to know :)
    – Carl
    2 days ago










  • @SteveBarnes The accuracy of mentioning Richard Boston is a little dubious. He did say "pink gin", but did he ever say gin and tonic"? Why does the poplar phrase differ? However, Richard does match the feeling of the OP's quotes well, it answers why we care what the character's gloves say.
    – Carl
    2 days ago















up vote
1
down vote













Literal answer



In a social setting, it is common to ask people what they are drinking. If there is a group of people, a conversation may go:



"What are you drinking?"



"Beer, and yourself?"



"Mine's a gin and tonic."



Where "mine's" is short for "my drink is".



Why is this in your book



Richard Boston was a politically comedic journalist (akin to Mark Twain or Gary Trudue) who was born in London in 1938. He wrote a beer column which highlighted local/small breweries rather than the big names. This made him popular with the brewers, but he had a secret, he didn't like beer. When they would ask him what beer he was drinking, his reply was "mine's a pink gin." Wikipedia



Pink gin is simply another type of gin, which can be mixed with tonic.



I do not know why the phrase has been changed from the quote. There is another article that quotes him as saying "mine's a gin and tonic" directly: click



I do believe this meaning gives a more nuanced description of the character.



Horsey



As said in other answers, "horsey" is a description of someone who enjoys the less labor intensive aspects of owning a horse.






share|improve this answer





















  • Note "a pink gin" at the time was not another type of gin - it was gin with Angostura Bitters (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters) - a good bar tender would ask the customer if they liked it "in or out" - i.e. a few drops of the bitters left in the glass or swilled around the glass then discarded. In recent years there has been a trend for flavored gins some pink but this was not what he was asking for in the quote.
    – Steve Barnes
    2 days ago










  • @SteveBarnes For argument's sake, and according to Wikipedia, a "true" pink gin is made with Plymouth gin, while the typical gin and tonic was with London gin. A Plymouth gin is sweeter, so the bitters go well with it. And also, I now know more about English gin than anyone needs to know :)
    – Carl
    2 days ago










  • @SteveBarnes The accuracy of mentioning Richard Boston is a little dubious. He did say "pink gin", but did he ever say gin and tonic"? Why does the poplar phrase differ? However, Richard does match the feeling of the OP's quotes well, it answers why we care what the character's gloves say.
    – Carl
    2 days ago













up vote
1
down vote










up vote
1
down vote









Literal answer



In a social setting, it is common to ask people what they are drinking. If there is a group of people, a conversation may go:



"What are you drinking?"



"Beer, and yourself?"



"Mine's a gin and tonic."



Where "mine's" is short for "my drink is".



Why is this in your book



Richard Boston was a politically comedic journalist (akin to Mark Twain or Gary Trudue) who was born in London in 1938. He wrote a beer column which highlighted local/small breweries rather than the big names. This made him popular with the brewers, but he had a secret, he didn't like beer. When they would ask him what beer he was drinking, his reply was "mine's a pink gin." Wikipedia



Pink gin is simply another type of gin, which can be mixed with tonic.



I do not know why the phrase has been changed from the quote. There is another article that quotes him as saying "mine's a gin and tonic" directly: click



I do believe this meaning gives a more nuanced description of the character.



Horsey



As said in other answers, "horsey" is a description of someone who enjoys the less labor intensive aspects of owning a horse.






share|improve this answer












Literal answer



In a social setting, it is common to ask people what they are drinking. If there is a group of people, a conversation may go:



"What are you drinking?"



"Beer, and yourself?"



"Mine's a gin and tonic."



Where "mine's" is short for "my drink is".



Why is this in your book



Richard Boston was a politically comedic journalist (akin to Mark Twain or Gary Trudue) who was born in London in 1938. He wrote a beer column which highlighted local/small breweries rather than the big names. This made him popular with the brewers, but he had a secret, he didn't like beer. When they would ask him what beer he was drinking, his reply was "mine's a pink gin." Wikipedia



Pink gin is simply another type of gin, which can be mixed with tonic.



I do not know why the phrase has been changed from the quote. There is another article that quotes him as saying "mine's a gin and tonic" directly: click



I do believe this meaning gives a more nuanced description of the character.



Horsey



As said in other answers, "horsey" is a description of someone who enjoys the less labor intensive aspects of owning a horse.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Nov 14 at 5:37









Carl

1689




1689












  • Note "a pink gin" at the time was not another type of gin - it was gin with Angostura Bitters (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters) - a good bar tender would ask the customer if they liked it "in or out" - i.e. a few drops of the bitters left in the glass or swilled around the glass then discarded. In recent years there has been a trend for flavored gins some pink but this was not what he was asking for in the quote.
    – Steve Barnes
    2 days ago










  • @SteveBarnes For argument's sake, and according to Wikipedia, a "true" pink gin is made with Plymouth gin, while the typical gin and tonic was with London gin. A Plymouth gin is sweeter, so the bitters go well with it. And also, I now know more about English gin than anyone needs to know :)
    – Carl
    2 days ago










  • @SteveBarnes The accuracy of mentioning Richard Boston is a little dubious. He did say "pink gin", but did he ever say gin and tonic"? Why does the poplar phrase differ? However, Richard does match the feeling of the OP's quotes well, it answers why we care what the character's gloves say.
    – Carl
    2 days ago


















  • Note "a pink gin" at the time was not another type of gin - it was gin with Angostura Bitters (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters) - a good bar tender would ask the customer if they liked it "in or out" - i.e. a few drops of the bitters left in the glass or swilled around the glass then discarded. In recent years there has been a trend for flavored gins some pink but this was not what he was asking for in the quote.
    – Steve Barnes
    2 days ago










  • @SteveBarnes For argument's sake, and according to Wikipedia, a "true" pink gin is made with Plymouth gin, while the typical gin and tonic was with London gin. A Plymouth gin is sweeter, so the bitters go well with it. And also, I now know more about English gin than anyone needs to know :)
    – Carl
    2 days ago










  • @SteveBarnes The accuracy of mentioning Richard Boston is a little dubious. He did say "pink gin", but did he ever say gin and tonic"? Why does the poplar phrase differ? However, Richard does match the feeling of the OP's quotes well, it answers why we care what the character's gloves say.
    – Carl
    2 days ago
















Note "a pink gin" at the time was not another type of gin - it was gin with Angostura Bitters (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters) - a good bar tender would ask the customer if they liked it "in or out" - i.e. a few drops of the bitters left in the glass or swilled around the glass then discarded. In recent years there has been a trend for flavored gins some pink but this was not what he was asking for in the quote.
– Steve Barnes
2 days ago




Note "a pink gin" at the time was not another type of gin - it was gin with Angostura Bitters (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters) - a good bar tender would ask the customer if they liked it "in or out" - i.e. a few drops of the bitters left in the glass or swilled around the glass then discarded. In recent years there has been a trend for flavored gins some pink but this was not what he was asking for in the quote.
– Steve Barnes
2 days ago












@SteveBarnes For argument's sake, and according to Wikipedia, a "true" pink gin is made with Plymouth gin, while the typical gin and tonic was with London gin. A Plymouth gin is sweeter, so the bitters go well with it. And also, I now know more about English gin than anyone needs to know :)
– Carl
2 days ago




@SteveBarnes For argument's sake, and according to Wikipedia, a "true" pink gin is made with Plymouth gin, while the typical gin and tonic was with London gin. A Plymouth gin is sweeter, so the bitters go well with it. And also, I now know more about English gin than anyone needs to know :)
– Carl
2 days ago












@SteveBarnes The accuracy of mentioning Richard Boston is a little dubious. He did say "pink gin", but did he ever say gin and tonic"? Why does the poplar phrase differ? However, Richard does match the feeling of the OP's quotes well, it answers why we care what the character's gloves say.
– Carl
2 days ago




@SteveBarnes The accuracy of mentioning Richard Boston is a little dubious. He did say "pink gin", but did he ever say gin and tonic"? Why does the poplar phrase differ? However, Richard does match the feeling of the OP's quotes well, it answers why we care what the character's gloves say.
– Carl
2 days ago










up vote
-4
down vote













I don't fully agree with chasly from UK. Obviously, horsey is an adjective here, and has nothing to do with 'upper-class' according to wiktionary.






share|improve this answer





















  • Wiktionary doesn't mention anything about context or connotations. It limits itself to providing a definition. The father wore driving gloves, the mother wore headscarves, and clothes from an expensive retailer, there are enough clues here to give us a good general picture of their financial situation.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 14 at 13:12

















up vote
-4
down vote













I don't fully agree with chasly from UK. Obviously, horsey is an adjective here, and has nothing to do with 'upper-class' according to wiktionary.






share|improve this answer





















  • Wiktionary doesn't mention anything about context or connotations. It limits itself to providing a definition. The father wore driving gloves, the mother wore headscarves, and clothes from an expensive retailer, there are enough clues here to give us a good general picture of their financial situation.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 14 at 13:12















up vote
-4
down vote










up vote
-4
down vote









I don't fully agree with chasly from UK. Obviously, horsey is an adjective here, and has nothing to do with 'upper-class' according to wiktionary.






share|improve this answer












I don't fully agree with chasly from UK. Obviously, horsey is an adjective here, and has nothing to do with 'upper-class' according to wiktionary.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Nov 14 at 11:42









Ngui Siautien

11




11












  • Wiktionary doesn't mention anything about context or connotations. It limits itself to providing a definition. The father wore driving gloves, the mother wore headscarves, and clothes from an expensive retailer, there are enough clues here to give us a good general picture of their financial situation.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 14 at 13:12




















  • Wiktionary doesn't mention anything about context or connotations. It limits itself to providing a definition. The father wore driving gloves, the mother wore headscarves, and clothes from an expensive retailer, there are enough clues here to give us a good general picture of their financial situation.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 14 at 13:12


















Wiktionary doesn't mention anything about context or connotations. It limits itself to providing a definition. The father wore driving gloves, the mother wore headscarves, and clothes from an expensive retailer, there are enough clues here to give us a good general picture of their financial situation.
– Mari-Lou A
Nov 14 at 13:12






Wiktionary doesn't mention anything about context or connotations. It limits itself to providing a definition. The father wore driving gloves, the mother wore headscarves, and clothes from an expensive retailer, there are enough clues here to give us a good general picture of their financial situation.
– Mari-Lou A
Nov 14 at 13:12




















 

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