the.com/briefcase
A box that tells the world you have somewhere important to be.
means A rigid or semi-rigid handheld case, usually with a handle, designed to carry documents and papers for work.
from A straightforward compound: 'brief,' meaning a legal or official document (from the Latin 'brevis,' short, via the short summary documents lawyers carried), plus 'case,' a container, from Old French 'casse.' The word emerged in the 1800s specifically tied to lawyers and their document cases, before spreading to anyone who wanted to look like they had papers worth protecting.
- origin
- Named for holding legal briefs, not snacks
- status symbol
- Empty ones still signal importance in Hollywood
- combination locks
- Mostly theater; three digits stop no one
- decline
- Backpacks won on comfort, briefcases lost on posture