Editing Briefcase

{{Short description|Narrow hard-sided box shaped bag or case used for carrying papers}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish | Suitcase}}
[[File:Briefcase-photo.jpg|thumb|Black attaché case]]
A '''briefcase''' or an '''attaché case''' (/əˈtæʃeɪ/) is a narrow hard-sided box-shaped [[bag]] or case used mainly for carrying papers and equipped with a handle. [[Lawyer]]s commonly use briefcases to carry [[Brief (law)|briefs]] to present to a court, hence the name.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} [[Businessperson|Businesspeople]] and other [[White-collar worker|white collar]] professionals also use briefcases to carry papers, and since the 1980s, electronic devices such as laptop computers and tablet computers. Some briefcases have only a main internal space, while others may have subsections, accordion sections, small pockets, or dividers. Briefcases may be made from leather, vinyl, durable fabric, thin metal (such as aluminium), or plastic. Leather, vinyl, or fabric briefcases may have externally-accessible pockets or sleeves in addition to the main storage space. Some briefcases made of fabric may have a shoulder strap. Briefcases typically have a lock to protect the contents. Nowadays, briefcases may have padded internal pouches to protect [[laptop]] computers.

== History ==
Briefcases are descendants of the limp [[satchel]] used in the fourteenth century for carrying money and valuables. It was called a "budget", derived from the Latin word "bulga" or Irish word "bolg", both meaning leather bag (in Irish it also means 'stomach'), and also the source of the financial term "[[budget]]".

Godillot of Paris{{Citation needed|date=August 2022|reason=An anonymous user added this name in May 2006, without any explanation or source. A Google search finds many pages, but they seem to be derived from Wikipedia, not the other way.}} was the first to use a hinged iron frame on a [[carpet bag]] in 1826. There then followed the [[Gladstone bag]] and the Rosebery, an oval-top bag. Eventually these became the modern metal-framed briefcase. The first of what is known as the modern rectangular briefcase is said to have been invented in the late 1850s. In 2014, the global business bag market was $9.4 billion.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bain|first1=Mark|title=The story behind the red box that Lee Kuan Yew carried everywhere|url=https://qz.com/369188/the-story-behind-the-red-box-that-lee-kuan-yew-carried-everywhere/|access-date=25 March 2015|work=[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]|date=25 March 2015}}</ref>

== Types ==

* A '''portfolio''' is a handleless case for carrying in the hand or under the arm.
* A '''folio case''' is a portfolio with a retractable handle.
* An '''attaché case''' (or sometimes called diplomat case) is a box-style case characteristically made of leather fitted over an internal hinged frame that opens into two compartments. It was traditionally carried by an ''[[attaché]]'', a diplomatic officer attached to an embassy or consulate officially assigned to serve in a particular capacity (e.g., [[cultural attaché]]; [[military attaché]]). Frameless aluminum is also used.  In recent years, leather pouches (usually slightly larger than a sheet of [[A4 paper]]) with a zipper sealed compartment have been referred to as attachés or poche document holders.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}
* A '''catalog case''' or '''catalogue case''' is a large (deep) attaché case.

== See also ==

* [[Backpack]]
* [[Messenger bag]]
* [[Nuclear briefcase]]
* [[Red box (government)]]
* [[Suitcase]]
* [[Tablet case]]

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{commons category-inline|Briefcases}}

{{bags}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bags]]
[[Category:Luggage]]