Camiknickers explained

SIR: Please explain to Raymond Briggs that camiknickers were a one-piece garment incorporating a camisole for the upper body and knickers for he knows where (Notes From the Sofa, November issue). Being an undergarment they were always created from a shiny smooth material, which allowed top layers to move easily. The important element in their design was the provision of a split gusset held in the closed position with two rubber buttons which facilitated visits to the loo as well as lustful pursuits. Being a camisole they always had shoulder straps not braces and at that time they were considered very chic and up to date. I had two older sisters, hence my intimate knowledge.

Jack Hill, St Albans.

SIR: I certainly remember the Sarson’s Vinegar advert that figures prominently in Raymond Briggs’s November column, but has he really not had vinegar from anything but a bottle? When I was a lad in the latter part of the Second World War, I well remember being sent up to the local grocer’s shop with a jug to purchase vinegar from the barrel. I suspect that this was perhaps the most common source of this brew for poor East Enders since it must have been cheaper than the bottled variety. He also sold sherry from a barrel on the same shelf; could it have been the same liquid in both barrels?

This manner of dispensing vinegar was quite widespread; my wife had a much posher upbringing than I, but she can also recall the vinegar barrel.

Warren Page, Reading.