No stomach for coffeehousing

FOR the first time in years I heard a shoot captain add ‘no coffeehousing’ to the usual list of shoot-day forbiddens. The younger guns looked both expectant and disappointed. Was there really a chance of skinny Americano extra shot in this last redoubt of Nescafé instant? And, if so, why was it verboten? The term is so rarely used now it’s destined to join ‘bundobust’ and ‘machan’ on the dusty shelf of antique sporting lexicon no longer in common usage.

I admit ‘bundobust’ – an organised hunting trip – was disappearing 30 years ago; I last heard