I just now encountered "bundling" in a discussion of the practise of selling some minor
bits of software at no extra charge to entice us to buy large packages. For instance
Windows always came with some freebies.
But in Colonial times, it meant something quite different. Courtship was complicated by
wide separation of dwellings, and obligation to work until sun went down. So the custom
arose of wrapping young man like a mummy in multiple turns of blanket not only for warmth
but to totally restrict his movements. A board was placed down middle of the bed, and the
girl was similarly mummified. They could talk as long as they could stay awake, but at least
in theory could do nothing else. There were many jokes about evasion of the restriction.
I have read that in many instances, because fertility of the girl was so essential that matrimony
was deferred until pregnacy had occurred. Anyway, here's a site about bundling:
http://www.fortklock.com/bundlingartch8.htm

Wasn't there a thread on bundling sometime earlier this year?

Dear dxb: The word was mentioned, but there was no description or discussion of it.
I looked it up. Now it's your turn to look it up.

OK. I shall be away for a few days, but I shall hunt it out when I return.

Dear dxb: when you want a challenge, see if you can remember or discover name of
movie, I think perhaps with Clark Gable, with girl's mother at last instant remembering
to frish him for concealed knife. His expression of disappointment was comical.

Dr. Bill, dxb is right, we did discuss bundling a little here:

http://wordsmith.org/board/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=words&Number=78591

Funny how bondage has gone from chaste to kinky in just a few generations.

Dear consuelo & dxb: When I searched I missed it. Usually in search mode, the word stands
out in much darker type. So I missed it. My apologies.

No problema Dr. Bill. Did you read the article?

Hardly an article. Just a couple sentences. And it was observed rather widely, for same reason
young people worked from sunup to sundown. For many it was the only chance to court. Lots
of jokes about it though. My favorite uncle told me one about young couple having horse go
lame, and having to take shelter with friendly farmer, whose wife made bundling arrangement.
Next morning, as they started for home, the girl's hat blew off, and went over a stone wall.
The young man stopped horses, but before he could get to the wall, the girl had already
retrieved her hat. When he protested that she should have let him get it, she said: "If you
couldn't get over that board last night, you'd never have been able to get over that wall."