"bibs and bobs" or "bits and bobs"

[nq:1]does anyone know which phrase is correct and were it comes from? "bibs and bobs" or "bits and bobs"[/nq]
I don't know the historic forms, but I've only ever heard "bits and bobs", never "bibs and bobs".

Cheers, Harvey
Canadian (30 years) and British (23 years)
For e-mail, change harvey.news to harvey.van

[nq:1]does anyone know which phrase is correct and were it comes from? "bibs and bobs" or "bits and bobs" thanks![/nq]
Of these two the SOED has only bits and bobs. It also has "bits and bats" and "bits and pieces" as meaning much the same thing. Google has "bibs and bobs", not exclusively as a twee name for baby accessory businesses. Could "bibs" be a mishearing that has persisted in some pla

[nq:2]A "bob" was a shilling or twelve pence[/nq]
[nq:1]Still is, for those of us born more than a few years before 1971. .. but one didn't talk about shillings as "bobs". One used to say "I've got a few bob in my pocket" or "that cost me five bob". Never bobs.[/nq]
I've also heard it used in place of 'pounds'... by people born a few years after 1971. Five shillings won't buy much these da