So, Mary F & I finally stopped gabbing about Yorkshire, and lo & behold
I have another question that I figure the variety of folks here might be
able to shed some light on.

First of all, if you haven't heard of the Monty Pythons referring to
little old ladies as "pepperpots," you can stop reading now and delete
this thread.

I always thought that term was funny, and had never seen/heard it used
in that sense by any but the Pythons, but lo & behold, as I was reading
a Brit-translated short story by Chekhov on line at Eldritch Press,
there was that term!

http://web.archive.org/web/200503012...itch/ac/jr/155
..htm

The doctor gave a malignant chuckle into his hat, and went on speaking
rapidly and stammering:

"It was a farce! The attendants kept the sheets and the blankets under
lock and key, for fear the old women should soil them -- 'Let the old
devil's pepper-pots sleep on the floor.' ..."

So just how far back does this usage go, anybody know? Anybody have an
idea of the etymology either? All I know is that the translator is
probably Constance Garnett (1861 — 1946), who began translating Russian
literature into English in 1893. Her English has been described as of
the Edwardian era.