Comments on: Quite Likely the Worst Job Ever

By: Speeling

Speeling — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 01:45:09 +0000

Yet the work was not was unhealthy

By: Jodie

Jodie — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 15:08:58 +0000

My first encounter with toshers was Terry Pratchett’s Dodger — a great read! Thanks for this article.

By: Joel Wakefield

Joel Wakefield — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 23:45:21 +0000

Victor Hugo gives a contemporary and even more detailed history of the Parisian sewers in Les Miserables. Thernadier is the quintessential tosher, and the description of Valjean’s journey through the maze identifies a number of additional (and even less enjoyable) dangers present in a 19th century urban sewer.

By: Hans

Hans — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 13:15:16 +0000

Good read! Always found it an fascinating topic after reading the novel The Quincunx by Charles Palliser

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 09:27:50 +0000

Not quite the same romance about it, but people are still going down sewers in very dangerous circumstances. The situation described in this article on Delhi is almost too unpleasant to imagine – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7872770.stm.

By: Derek

Derek — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:20:35 +0000

The worst job I ever had was a very difficult job. I had to collect up every year all the phlegm what Winston Churchill had gobbed out into his bucket by the bed.

By: Bryanna

Bryanna — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:39:03 +0000

Very cool! Never knew about any of this at all. Definitely a conversation starter, but overall, just some interesting history.

By: Dido

Dido — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 18:03:18 +0000

My first and only “encounter” with toshers before I read this article was from reading Joan Aiken’s young adult book “Midnight is a Place”

By: Charles Hollingsworth

Charles Hollingsworth — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 12:06:02 +0000

Nick Horley — on what authority do you object to the use of “likely” as an adverb? The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary notes that “likely” may be used as an adverb in standard British English when preceded by a qualifier (such as “most”, “very”, or — presumably — “quite”): http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/likely_2

Fowler’s Modern English Usage makes a similar claim.

By: Ned Harkey

Ned Harkey — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 17:13:01 +0000

Fantastically intriguing article! First I’ve heard of “Toshers”. I’m glad I don’t have to sift through sewage for a living!