Correspondents did as they were bidden, filing their copy by air-mail letter or, in later years, by telex.

ECONOMIST: Nancy Balfour

And will it always leap out of the faucet when bidden?

FORBES: The Story Of Eau

This month it announced plans to lay off another 120, 000 workers by 2015, having already bidden adieu to some 110, 000 over the past four years (for a total of about 560, 000 now).

ECONOMIST: The Post Office