Lawyers' Bags
Preserved but no longer current.
Some red, some blue. In the Common Law, r^bags are reserved for Q.C.s; but a stuffgownsman may carry one "if pre- sented with it by a silk." Only ra/bags may be taken into Common Law Courts, blue must be carried no farther than the robing-room. In Chancery Courts the etiquette is not so strict.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Lawyers' Bags” mean?
Some red, some blue. In the Common Law, r^bags are reserved for Q.C.s; but a stuffgownsman may carry one "if pre- sented with it by a silk." Only ra/bags may be taken into Common Law Courts, blue must be carried no farther than the robing-room. In Chancery Courts the etiquette is not so strict.
Is “Lawyers' Bags” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.