| Jack Sprat's Platter | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
Jack Sprat |
|
Type |
Platter |
|
Effects |
Makes one diminutive with each meal |
|
Downsides |
Makes partner expand outwards from the lost height |
|
Activation |
Eating served food |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 11 |
|
Section |
|
|
Date of Collection |
April 11, 1758 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
- Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
- His wife could eat no lean.
- And so between them both, you see,
- They licked the platter clean.
"Jack Sprat" is an English language nursery rhyme. The name "Jack Sprat" was used of people of small stature in the 16th century. Like many nursery rhymes, "Jack Sprat" may have originated as a satire on a public figure. History writer Linda Alchin suggests that Jack was King Charles I, who was left "lean" when parliament denied him taxation, but with his queen Henrietta Maria he was free to "lick the platter clean" after he dissolved parliament—Charles was a notably short man. An alternative explanation comes from the popular Robin Hood legend, applying it to the disliked King John and his greedy queen Isabella.
Effects[]
Causes the eater to shrink a few inches over time after eating a meal from the platter. Displaces the lost height into the server if applicable. Consumption by a royal however will immediately squish them a few feet, while their spouse or partner gains the same amount as girth around the waist.