Brief History of the Pocket
To begin with, the definition of the word "pocket" which is "a little baglike attachment". The reason for this definition is that the pocket was not originally sewn into clothes, as it is today. Actual bags first pockets were actually small, which hung in his belt, which could carry valuables and coins. The word itself comes from the Anglo-Norman word pokete and can trace its roots back to the Germanic root word 'bag', which is like an old English word pocca. Therefore the definition makes sense. "purse" and "pocket" which also has the same root word, only one is plural and second singular.
Out and worth noting is the Scottish sporran, which is that smart purse worn at the front of the kilt in traditional wear. The word sporran itself comes from the old Irish word sparan that can trace its roots back to the Latin word Bursa
First inside pockets:
Since the pocket on the outside of your clothes, unfortunately it was the subject of twenty, or more correctly, cut-purses. More cautious realized that if they kept their purses inside their trousers1, it would deter the pickpockets by making theft more difficult.
But there came a realization: while retaining his bag in one's clothes made it harder for thieves to grab the bag, it has also made it difficult for the owner of the bag to get at the contents! And as the point of the scrotum in the first place was to make it easy to carry your money, making it impossible to get without embarrassment was not the greatest of solutions. Imagine that you are in the common market, and you want to buy you an apple. To buy it you must drop your trousers and expose your buttocks to the entire market! (Note: In this day and age, not only were people who did not have inside pockets, but they did not wear underwear!)
The next step in the evolution of the pocket was what most people see them as today: a simple shear in clothes. A slit cut into the side of your pants (or the time your body as well as women have never been known to drop their skirts on the market ... much) would enable you to reach into your purse with ease while others would find it hard to get in without your knowledge and consent. This evolution of the clothes slit caused a revolution in form and angle opening in the scrotum, and it was around the time they began to be called pockets.
Pocket leveled off, and had two pieces of cloth, one solid (the one on the back) and the other shaped almost like a 'U'. Pocket was also attached to his belt, usually cloth this time, and was often elaborately embroidered and decorated. You can still see some of these beautiful works of art in your pocket museums dedicated to original period costumes.
But if the story had been left to the rich and carefree who had time to make and elaborate on the undergarment pocket, then our pocket history might have ended there. In many ways it would have been a prettier solution. Imagine pocket factories, we will get them made from all kinds of materials because there were often up next to the skin. Angora pockets, velvet pockets, pockets made of polar fleece with silken tassels on the bottom, etc.
Modern Pocket:
A look at modern pocket, we must go back to pants again. We are now at the end of the 1700s. Let's say it is 1784, before some poor soul gets sick and tired of having to remember to tie your pocket every day before he gets dressed. Most likely you know someone like this. This is a person who has trouble remembering to put his trousers on before his shoes, let alone remembering to tie his pocket before his trousers.
But absent minded as he is, he's no dolt. Therefore, in revenge, he asks his wife to sew the pocket right to his pants, so he will never forget it again. And suddenly, there you have it. Pocket. The real, true, ultimate pocket. The friendly pocket you and I know and love that has been our most intimate friend since childhood ... warming cold hands or holding fluff, bits of string and unusable notes from friends long past and best forgotten.
Pocket has undergone many changes since that fateful day. People have placed pockets elsewhere than in life: knees, thighs and belly (the notorious' breast pocket). People have even returned to practice with inside pockets, which in turn requires people to pull their pants down and moon the supermarket to get their cash (luckily, that is very rare).
Types and use of modern Pockets:
The modern pocket is a tool with different applications and styles, and can be found in almost all articles about men's and women's casual clothing in various forms. Here are just a few examples:
See Pocket - Essential to keep a gentleman's pocket watch. Often found on the man's vest or even on his trousers. The clock had a chain or a fob, to prevent it from being lost, and this pocket sometimes could be called the 'fob pocket.
Chest pocket - Located on the far left side of a gentleman's jacket, it must contain more than a handkerchief, and is only to show.
Inner chest pocket - Found on the inside of the jacket. It is normal to have two of them to carry out a wallet or pen, or legal documents such as passports.
Ticket pocket - This is a small pocket inside the right waist pocket of a jacket and was previously used to implement small cardboard tickets. These days, it can be used to save your business card or other light elements (such as a lucky coin).
Coin pocket - This is a small pocket inside the right back pocket of a pair of jeans. It's a pretty tight, but its design is quite efficient to keep your loose coins from rattling around.
Cargo pockets - These pockets appear commonly on trendy jeans and cargo pants as a large pocket on the thigh, usually with snap-flaps or velcro flaps, and accordion folds in the sides for increased capacity. It is precisely these first appeared in battle dress uniforms.
There are various other pockets of note, such as hip pockets, thigh pocket, etc. Other pockets with concrete applications include a mobile pocket on a woman's purse in order to implement a cell phone (which are often unsightly appearance afterthoughts of pockets, carelessly sewn outside of the bag), and the unusual 'mitten pocket' found on some woolen scarves, for storage of matching mittens.
The figural Pocket:
The word "pocket" also can refer to many things in life than what is listed above. As part of the speech, it has found its way into almost every aspect of modern life, which refers to objects that are smaller than normal (pocket size), such as "pocket mouse" and "pocket gopher" - two different species of rodents with large external cheek pouches (these are common in America).
On the financial side, there are many considerations to make good use of "pocket", as "pocket money" and "touching his pocket." Also, "pocket piece is a piece of money kept in your pocket and not spent.
In politics, a "pocket borough", a city with very few voters. Before the parliamentary reform in 1832, it was a small town controlled by a single family or person. And a "pocket Sheriff 'is a sheriff appointed the sole authority of the crown, without an appointment of judges in the exchequer.
In other areas of life: a "pocket gun" is not a firearm, but a bottle of whiskey just in case no beverage is available on a walk. Moreover, the popular video game series Pokemon derived from the words "pocket monster." In mining, is a "pocket", a rich deposit of ore found in a cavity in rock. The voyage is a "pocket", a strip of fabric sewn a sail through which a Spar or batten can be inserted. In billiards, it's the bag where the balls are driven.
And so, for all you who thought you knew everything about pocket ... think again. It is an elusive creature, hiding deep in the folds in the clothes of the time and it is clear that it still has a long way to go to make it useful and accessible to all. Now you know.
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