411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Jack Horner pie
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Etymology
In reference to the nursery rhyme Little Jack Horner.
Noun
A paper ornament, or sawdust-filled pan, etc. containing hidden gifts to be drawn out by children at a party.
en 1894 Pratt Institute Monthly 2 105 Sometimes, instead of being hung on the tree, the children's gifts are put in a Jack Horner pie, a pan filled with sawdust in which the gifts are hidden, to be pulled out by each little Jack Horner in turn.
Elsie Duncan Yale, When Mother Lets Us Give a Party
In the center of the table should be a “Jack Horner” pie, in the form of a large paper rose, and from this “pie,” pink ribbons run to each place. (A Jack Horner pie can be bought, all ready to set on the table.)
en eponyms