These cups were ideal for drinking tea out of, so that's what I used them for. They've seen a lot of use, and are now faded from so much exposure to the dishwasher. I still use them daily — or at least I did until today.
Unfortunately, Mahatma Gandhi developed a crack over the weekend. I poured hot water into him to make my tea, and he leaked. I thought perhaps he hadn't leaked and I'd just poured the water badly, but it happened the next time I used him, too. Once the porcelain heated up he was fine, but not when he was being filled.
I thought I'd give him one last chance, just in case it really was my bad pouring than did it. This morning, however, he couldn't hold his water again and leaked until he sealed up. I have therefore condemned him to the bin, so that those people in the future who are studying archaeology (that is, the recovery and analysis of potsherds) will thank me.
Oh well. It looks as if Karl Marx is on his own now.