My Favourite Mug (Challenge)
@owlwings (43915)
Cambridge, England
November 18, 2016 8:14am CST
The question was simple enough: “What is your favourite mug?”
I'm not sure who issued this challenge - it may have been @marlina or it may have been @amadeo, anyway, it set me a-thinking.
It’s always a good idea, of course, to ‘mug up’ on a subject before writing about it so I thought I would look the word up to see what we use such a simple word for in English.
Mugging is a thing of violence, usually, so one couldn’t really have a ‘favourite’ though I can imagine a scenario where a couple of bullies snatch an old lady’s bag … only to stuff it with banknotes and give it back to her. A good idea for a short story, there. Any takers?
Another meaning for 'Mug' is ‘a stupid or gullible person’. Do you take me for a mug? The question can’t be asking “Who is your favourite stupid person?” Though I do have a soft spot for some wise fools, I don’t have a lot of time for stupidity.
If I were asked to name my favourite face, I would really be hard put to decide what *mug shot* to show you! I think, however, that it might be a picture of a very wizened old man or woman smiling broadly. That, I believe, is a picture of true happiness.
Ah, I hear you say … “It’s a DRINKING VESSEL, they mean … stoopid! Why go all around Will’s mother’s instead of giving a straight answer?” [owlish grin]
Well, yes, I DO have three favourite mugs. You can see them in the picture (I hope).
? The one on the left is a rather elegant bone china mug with a picture of a barn owl. That is the one I prefer to drink tea from.
? The blue one in the middle has a rather cute cartoon owl. It is a wide, chunky mug which is excellent for soup.
? The one on the right is a hand-made earthenware mug with a rather severe and scary owl on it, just right for filling with black coffee and waking me up in the morning!
(And just in case you were thinking of asking that critical question ... they are all - like my life - at some point "Half FOOL")
19 people like this
18 responses
@succeednow (1633)
• Singapore
18 Nov 16
@owlwings After reading this I couldn't help asking this question. Can you please explain what you mean by wise fools? From what I understand a fool is a stupid person. How can a stupid person be wise?
2 people like this
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
18 Nov 16
@marlina & @vandana7 Today, the word "fool" usually means someone who is stupid but in earlier times it meant, rather, someone who was simple-minded or who behaved in a simple-minded fashion. There were people who made a good living from this who were called Jesters and were often attached to the King's Court. These days, we'd probably call them Court Comedians and their duty was, of course, to entertain the King and the courtiers. They were often very wise and perceptive people and were able, by making the King laugh, to influence his decisions much more than his official advisers.
Shakespeare frequently uses a Fool or a Clown to deliver his wisest and most telling messages. Today, we have people who "fool about" and it is often the comedians who make the most telling and wise comments on contemporary affairs.
5 people like this
@vandana7 (98787)
• India
18 Nov 16
It is pretty much like knowing what will happen when the milk is placed on high flame on gas, and telling somebody decrease the flame...knowing fully well that this person is not going to do it ..and being foolish enough to believe today is another day and this person might just surprise us and giving chance to the person to do so..phew...that to me sounded pretty much like wise fool.
2 people like this
@vandana7 (98787)
• India
18 Nov 16
Nice and informative post Owl..thanks...and I liked the one in the center. The one on left is nice but ordinary, the one on right is, as you mentioned scary...the center one is pleasant...does it say anything about my nature ...which one you like defines your nature..kind? lol. Kidding. All three are nice but selecting one of the three is easy here.
2 people like this
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
19 Nov 16
@LadyDuck It looks to be just the size I like my espresso! I always order a doppio ... and, here, they nearly always serve espresso in a standard size coffee cup which they don't bother to warm, so it is invariably cold and little more than a smear on the bottom of the cup when I get it!
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
21 Nov 16
I totally love the owls!!!!!
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
21 Nov 16
@owlwings I lost most of my owl stuff in the great move last month but I do have an owl necklace on my wall
1 person likes this
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
22 Nov 16
Marmite are doing a promotion whereby you can order a personalised jar of Marmite with whatever name (or text) on it you want in the proper script. It's an onlike site and you can see the effect onscreen. Being a bit of a cheapskate, I just did a screendump of the finished result!
The collective name for a group of owls is a parliament. I'm not sure what a group of mugs would be ... perhaps 'a crockery of mugs' or (if they were on a neat row of hooks) 'a hang of mugs'. That would make my collection a hung parliament, of course!
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (158958)
• Boise, Idaho
19 Nov 16
Great cups! I do so like the owl. I have a collection of frogs.
1 person likes this
The white one is the size of my mug ,. But when i prepare coffee it will just be 3/4 of it .
@changjiangzhibin89 (16531)
• China
19 Nov 16
I am glad to learn so much from your post,the word mug has so many extended meanings.As for the mug in itself , I am very particular about my teacup,which has to be blue and white porcelain with the picture on it to my taste,like you love the owl.
1 person likes this
@shivamani10 (11038)
• Hyderabad, India
19 Nov 16
nice post. I liked the one in the Center.
1 person likes this
@hora_fugit (5862)
• India
21 Nov 16
@owlwings Only because I had been away! 
Else, I would have been the first one to say this....
As I might have commented there, I love your Owl collection. But nothing measures up to you. :)
Else, I would have been the first one to say this....
As I might have commented there, I love your Owl collection. But nothing measures up to you. :)1 person likes this
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
18 Nov 16
Despite your mugging-up on this topic you did not take us all for mugs, nor did you jump out and mug any of us.
My favourite was a classic, red outside and white inside cylindrical Nescafé mug, alas departed this world some months hence. Its stand in, whilst not as striking as the original, is similarly sized and coloured, only lacking the brand name on the side.
Here's the mug-shot that most closely resembles, up above.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40506)
• United States
18 Nov 16
Love your owl mugs. Interesting post also! This is a mug I designed.
1 person likes this
