THE English language – “to gobbledegook”, to be more accurate – was the unlikely villain at Southampton borough police court in 1919 when a landlord and two barmaids were summoned for an alleged breach of the Spirits, Price and Description Order by selling rum above its maximum price.

However, the terminology of the Act was so confusing nobody could understand it!

“I have been endeavouring all this morning to understand what this order means and I have failed utterly and completely,” prosecutor A J Rogers confessed.

“It does seem a strange state of affairs that the Ministry of Food will make orders couched in language no one understands”

Defence solicitor C A Emanuel concurred: “I have been trying to puzzle it out with Mr Rogers but I am as far off as ever.”

The court clerk, Forbes Bassett, had no intention of intervening. “That being so, I shall decline to try.”

Mr Rogers reduced the court to laughter when he remarked: “The police tell me it is quite straight forward when you know what it means.”

After it had subsided, Mr Bassett observed that if the legal minds could not understand the law, then how could the barmaids.

The chairman recommending that the prosecution should apply for an adjournment. “Until you submit the case in an intelligible way, I think you should withdraw it.”

All the parties agreed and the case was adjourned.