Pick and dip is quite efficient as you're picking up mortar and a brick at the same time. I knew a trowel years ago that used to prefer working backwards, by picking up a brick, buttering up the end for a full perp, then picking up enough for the bed. He reckoned working backwards was better because he could always see if any bricks were touching the line.
My understanding of the origin of the term pick and dip went back to Victorian times, when for certain bricks like rubbers for gauged work, or really hard bricks like Accringtons which needed really tight joints, a wetter lime putty, or lime/really fine sand was used. It was difficult to spread over the bricks, so the bricks were dipped into the mortar tray enough to get some on the bottom plus a bit more smeared on with the trowel. They were then laid with the bed joint already on the bottom. I can see why it was done like that, you know what it's like when the labourers knock it up too wet like soup.
