What does 'plum job' and 'to take sth all in mean'?

[Me]

hi Alan and Torsten!!

Test No. incompl/inter-4 "Easy Questions", question 4

He is very lucky to have got himself a ......... job.

(a) pear
(b) banana
(c) lemon
(d) plum

Test No. incompl/inter-4 "Easy Questions", answer 4

He is very lucky to have got himself a plum job.

Correct answer: (d) plum

What does "plum job" and "to take sth all in mean"? Thanks for the answer in advance!! :)

[Alan]

This means the best job available - one that everybody would like.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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[Miklos]

Dear Alan,

Could you explain the origin of this expression, please? Is it related to fruit picking somehow?

Sincerely,
Miklos

[Dina27]

But what about the other fruit jobs. Can it be a banana job, a lemon job?

Dina

[Alan]

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Hi Dina,

An interesting thought but these other fruits aren't usually used. Possibly you could add 'peach of a job' meaning a very good job. As for the origin, it appears the word was used in the 17th century to describe a fortune or a large sum of money.

By the way Dina, how's the recording coming along?

Alan
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English as a Foreign Language
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[Dina27]

Hello Alan,

Thank you for your simple and clear explanation. I can`t overcome the difficulties with the recording myself and I`m going to ask the computer specialist. But as I live in a very small village it can`t be earlier than after a month.

Dina

[Hardus]

Why is a fruit some kind of good job... This question made me only get 9 out of 10 correctly :(

[Beeesneees]

'a plum job' is a fixed expression which has nothing to do with a fruit, Hardus. It indicates that the job is highly sought after and desirous for two reasons.
1)
'Plum' in the 17th century was slang for £1000, a very large sum indeed in those times. This use was then applied to some political jobs, thought by the man in the street to involve little work for a lot of money. From there the word entered wider use for an easy, choice job.
2)
"Plum" also meant soft (plum bread; plum woman) so a plum job was a soft job.
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Cheers m' dears!

[Dina27]

Dear Beeesneees,

It you let me to make an audio recording of your explanation here for practice and to remember it would be nice :-) And also I`m interested what Beeesneees means? I have some ideas ;-) but they are just surmises

Thanks forward for your reply

[Beeesneees]

That's not the first time I've been asked about my nickname. You can find out more here:Why Beeesneees?
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Cheers m' dears!