The After Dinner Man and the Hour-glass Ceiling

A friend gave me a great book, The Wage Slave’s Glossary, which defines words related to work and workers.  Two terms caught my eye:  after dinner man and hour-glass ceiling.  The first originated in the 17^th century and referred to a man who had to go back to work after dinner.  The book’s author Joshua Glenn quips, “We are all after-dinner men and women now.”  The hour-glass ceiling is a related term.  It refers to time constraints that limit careers, generally careers of working mothers.  Some people need to do family work at nights and on weekends, which limits their “after dinner” potential. 

I strongly recommend this book, which is wise, witty, and – too often – sad.