Something for the weekend

[Peter Laidler]

The phrase '.....something for the weekend sir!' has certain connotations for Englishmen that you foreigners, colonials and wild antipodeans out there in Forumland might like to smile about. During the 40's, 50's and 60's when men used to visit the barbers, at the end of your haircut, you'd go to pay the usual 5 shillings - and the barber would point to a large rack of 'rubbers' or contraceptives and ask whether sir would like '....something for the weekend....?'. Being sheepish boys with equally sheepish girlfriends, you'd sheepishly say yes and sneak a packet into your pocket for the princely sum of 3shillings and 6pence!

I happened to be 'seeing' a nice girl in the village where I lived and it got that I was 'having a haircut' almost every day - or certainly every week! A couple of months later I learned that the village barber lived just a few houses away from and was good friends with my girlfriends parents AND used to see me going there to take her out....... obviously putting two and two together! I never went back there for a haircut...........