A lid, also known as a cover, is part of a

container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

, and serves as the closure or

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as tubs as well as larger lids for open-head pails and

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

. Some lids have a security strip or a

tamper-evident band A tamper-evident band or security ring serves as a tamper resistant or tamper evident function to a screw cap, lid, or closure. The term ''tamper-proof'' is sometimes used but is considered a misnomer given that pilfering is still technica ...

to hold the lid on securely until opening is desired or authorized. These are usually irreversible to indicate that the container has been opened.

History

Lids have been found on

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

dating back as far as

3100 BC The 31st century BC was a century that lasted from the year 3100 BC to 3001 BC. Events *c. 3100 BC: Polo ( mni, Sagol Kangjei) was first played in Manipur state. *c. 3100 BC?: The Anu Ziggurat and White Temple are built in Uruk. *c. 3100 BC?: P ...

. Ancient Egyptian

canopic jars Canopus (, ; grc-gre, Κάνωπος, ), also known as Canobus ( grc-gre, Κάνωβος, ), was an ancient Egyptian coastal town, located in the Nile Delta. Its site is in the eastern outskirts of modern-day Alexandria, around from the cente ...

with lids held the organs of mummified bodies as early as 2686 BC. The coffee lid market is valued at roughly $180 million. An estimated 14 billion lids were sold in 2009 in the United States. Some containers such as tubs or jars now have a

plastic film Plastic film is a thin continuous polymeric material. Thicker plastic material is often called a "sheet". These thin plastic membranes are used to separate areas or volumes, to hold items, to act as barriers, or as printable surfaces. Plas ...

heat sealed onto the container: this is often called a ''lidding film''.

Examples

File:StorageContainers.jpg, Home storage containers with latched lids File:Becher mt Farbe -Kölner Brückengrün-.jpg, Lid for a plastic can of paint File:Mint box polypropylene lid.JPG, Lid of a

Tic Tac Tic Tac (stylized as "tic tac") is a brand of small, hard mint manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero. They were first produced in 1969 and are now available in a variety of flavours in over 100 countries. Tic Tacs are usually sold in sma ...

mint case File:Tubs of wood filler or putty.jpg, Lid on tubs of wood filler. Break-away tab releases lid from security band

Cultural references

The word is used metaphorically, as in "keeping the lid on the secret" and "flipped his lid". Other meanings or usages include: * A well-known myth concerns Pandora opening the lid of a box and unleashing terrible evils into the world. * An old saying that you never have to put a lid on a bucket of crabs (because when one gets near the top, another will inevitably pull it down) is often used as a metaphor for group situations where an individual feels held back by others. * An old

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

saying, that "every pot will find its lid" refers to people finding an appropriate match in marriage. * The term "lid" is commonly used slang as a synonym for an ounce of herbal

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

. * Lids are referred to in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

, in the

Book of Numbers The book of Numbers (from Greek Ἀριθμοί, ''Arithmoi''; he, בְּמִדְבַּר, ''Bəmīḏbar'', "In the desert f) is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah. The book has a long and com ...

References

Sources

* Soroka, W, "Fundamentals of Packaging Technology", IoPP, 2002, * Yam, K. L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, {{packaging Seals (mechanical) Packaging pt:Tampa

History

Examples

Cultural references

See also

References

Sources