A puzzle jug is a puzzle

Puzzle

A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...

 in the form of a jug

Jug

Jug may refer to:* Jug , a vessel for liquids* Jug , used for rhythmic bass accompaniment* Jug , cross breed between a Pug and a Jack Russell Terrier...

. The challenge—to drink the contents without spilling, which, because the neck of the jug is perforated, is impossible to do conventionally—is often written on the jug. Some such inscriptions are these:

• Come drink of me and merry be.
• Come drink your fill, but do not spill.
• Fill me up with licker sweet for it is good when fun us do meet.
• Gentlemen, now try your Skill / I'll hold your Sixpence if you Will / That you don't drink unless you spill.
• Here, Gentlemen, come try your skill / I'll hold a wager if you will / That you don't drink this liquor all / Without you spill and let some fall.

Examples

The earliest example in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 is the Exeter

Exeter

Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...

 puzzle jug, a fine example of medieval pottery

Pottery

Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...

 in Britain, dating from about 1300 and made in Saintonge

Saintonge

Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....

, Western France.

Puzzle jugs of varying quality were popular in homes and taverns, especially during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Solution

The solution to the puzzle is that the jug has a hidden tube, one end of which appears to be the spout. The tube usually runs around the rim and then down the handle, with its other opening inside the jug and near the bottom. To solve the puzzle, the drinker must suck from the spout end of the tube. To make the puzzle more interesting, it was common to provide a number of additional holes along the tube, which must be closed off before the contents could be sucked. Some jugs even have a hidden hole to make the challenge still more confounding.

The puzzle jug is a descendant of earlier drinking puzzles, such as the fuddling cup

Fuddling cup

A fuddling cup is a three-dimensional puzzle in the form of a drinking-vessel, made of three or more cups or jugs all linked together by holes and tubes. The challenge of the puzzle is to drink from the vessel in such a way that the beverage does not spill. To do this successfully, the cups must be...

 and the pot crown, each of which has a different solution.

External links

• A puzzle jug
• Martin Homer's Puzzle Jugs