Good health!” A common enough expression and usually accompanied with a glass of something.

Why then should an essentially liquid occasion be described by something as dry as “toast?” And why “toastmaster?” The answer involves poison, the properties of charcoal, metonymy and social decorum.

The English word toast can be traced back to the Indo-European word “ters” which meant dry. From this root also derive the words torrent, terrace, the Spanish tostada and the Latin “terra.”

In ancient Greece, a neat way of disposing of an unwanted political rival was to invite the person to share a meal with you and to poison his drink. To refuse to share a drink with the host was the height of rudeness. The solution was to have the host drink first and follow his lead from the same bowl. Here lie the foundations of “drinking to one’s health.”

Centuries later in Rome poisoning goodwill drinks was still fashionable. It was a Roman practice to put a piece of burnt toast into a glass to remove undesirable flavors from the liquid. In particular, the burnt crust reduced the grape juice’s acidity. It is the first recorded use of charcoal to remove undesirable toxins including poisons; the principle is still applied to water filters today using activated charcoal. It was also in Rome that the idea of having a person to organize the process of health-drinking — a major domo — was first formalized. Here lay the seeds of the modern toastmaster.

Probably the first recorded usage of the word “toast” in English was in a cookbook of 1430, where it is suggested that a dish be “serue[d] forth alle hote as tostes.” Shakespeare made use of the word in “The Merry Wives of Windsor” with the line “Go, fetch me a quart of Sacke, put a tost in’t.” Samuel Johnson’s 1755 dictionary lists the noun toast as meaning “bread dried before the fire.”

Since then, the word toast in English has also come to represent the act taking a drink (originally in which toast was placed) honoring a person, thing, sentiment, or endeavor. The transition of a word describing an act into a name is the process of metonymy.

The first recorded usage of toast in the context of drinking to one’s health is listed in the OED as Congreve’s 1700 play “Way of the World” in the line; “That on no Account you encroach on the Men’s prerogative, and presume to drink Healths, or toast Fellows.”

While the idea of toasting was becoming common currency, the parallel function of a toastmaster was also developing.

Two of the functions the ‘major domo’ of a household was responsible for was both the storage and often the making of the beverages in the cellar. One of the ways of making them was to float toast covered with yeast on the surface of the liquid and, prior to serving, place toast covered with spices in them. A good major domo, who was also responsible for the smooth running of the establishment, would act as master of ceremonies. He was known as the ìmaster of the toast; a toastmaster.

It was in 1715 that the act of ‘toasting one’s health’ became formalized. In the fashionable west-country resort of Bath, fashion, social ritual and decorous behavior were revered. This involved banqueting and a great deal of toasting. The formalities surrounding toasting were already well established, having first come to the notice of society at a banquet held in the Pump Room in Bath in 1649.

The formalization of the indecorous behavior of fashionable English society in the late 1600’s was radically altered by Richard ‘Beau’ Nash, an ultra-fashionable and resourceful gentleman who lived off his wits and other people’s cash; he was also a stickler for ‘proper form.’ It was largely he who introduced codes of social behavior — including a sword ban and the world’s first public ban on smoking ìbecause it was impolite and disrespectful to ladies.

He made Bath fashionable. This encouraged the city’s elders to build the splendid crescents and architecture that still attracts millions of tourists.

Nash is regarded by British toastmasters as the first true ‘master of ceremonies,’ — the fruit of the seed planted by the ancient Romans in the ‘major domo.’

Traditionally, the two most important pieces of equipment the toastmaster has are the red coat and the gavel.

Until 1798, toastmasters wore the same formal dress as the guests. However, at one London function news that the host’s daughter was to be wed was brought to his table. He wanted the toastmaster to announce this, but could not see him amongst the guests.

He requested the toastmaster wear something more conspicuous at future occasions. The toastmaster, William Knight Smith, had a tail coat made by the makers of the characteristic red fox-hunting jacket traditionally worn by huntsmen. Called a Pink, after the makers Thomas Pink, the hunting-pink was remodeled as a tail coat and has been the traditional wear of toastmasters ever since.

The toastmaster uses a gavel — a small wooden hammer — to keep order. Not unique to toastmasters, the gavel has been in use since Elizabethan times.

The functions of the modern toastmaster are as master of ceremonies and event organizer. His tools — the scarlet tail-coat and gavel — remain but the historical household responsibilities have dropped away.

Graham Hunt, of the UK School of Professional Toastmasters trains toastmasters. He sees a major responsibility of the professional toastmaster as organizing and presenting an event with style.

“He has to know exactly what the client wants, do all the organization and advise on how the function should proceed,” he said. The confidence to do that is based on training, knowledge of correct form and the ability to innovate. “The toastmaster should however attempt to adhere to the traditional methods as much as he can.”

Those traditions are passed on within the toastmaster fraternity by word of mouth and usage. “The trouble is that many modern innovations deviate from the traditions,” said Hunt. There are definitive books on procedure and protocol for almost any formal occasion.

Hunt is very much a believer in staying with tradition; he sees its value as the foundation and default setting for conducting any event — for example a wedding breakfast. Correct form and traditions, he feels, are never wrong, even though difficult to adhere to in organizing some functions.

“That is where the personality of the toastmaster and his ability to adapt to the needs of the client and his confidence in his knowledge of form supports him and keeps the event running smoothly,” he said. “The meld of training, personality and image is what makes it work.”

Hunt feels that the toastmaster is not an anachronism in modern society. “Why leave tradition behind?” he asked. With judicious use of personality and style, the sometimes unusual requests from the client can usually be incorporated seamlessly into the running of the event. However there is nothing to substitute for the six P’s; “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.”

The British toastmaster today is a master of ceremonies and the lynch pin that binds the fabric of a social function — from wedding breakfast to corporate or diplomatic dinner. What he is not, says Hunt, is a public speaker.

“Toastmasters do not make speeches; it is not their function to become the center of attention. The toastmaster is a functionary and must keep in mind who is important at the event.”

A word that started as meaning “bread dried before a fire” used as a flavor enhancer and poison remover has, through a process of metonymy over centuries evolved into a body of men and women — yes, there are female toastmasters — who act as a repository of correct form and procedure. It is an esoteric and uniquely British profession.

“Here’s to its health.”