During the Napoleonic wars, English soldiers would stick a loaf of bread on their bayonet, put their helmet on top of it and poke it out from behind a bush. Knowing intuitively what would happen next, his opponent, the French sniper, being a creature of habit, would put down his cafe au lait and toasted brie baguette, dust off his tunic, powder his wig, aim carefully and fire his musket. However, this would expose his personage for a clear English shot. Au revior monsieur. And this is how, blending intuition with a little common sense to solve a problem became known as “using one’s loaf.”
