VitaminQ - a temple of trivia lists and curious words
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~ Thursday, September 04, 2003
SOFT CENTRES Some cloths and garments which take their names from places: astrakhan - lambswool cloth originally from the Caspian port of that name balaclava - woollen head covering, presumably worn to keep out the chill in Balaklava in the Crimea balmoral - a man's bonnet, after the royal palace in Scotland basque - name used for various garments; originally a pleated jacket worn by women of the Basque region of Spain breton - white brimmed hat, as worn by women in Bretagne in northern France buckram - the name of this stiff fabric may be connected to the lost Tartar city of Bukhara cashmere - fine goat's-wool cloth from Kashmir in India cravat - the neck-scarf was commonly worn by Croat soldiers and merchants denim - 'de Nîmes', from the town in France where the cloth supposedly originates derby - US name for the bowler hat, named for the middle England city Dunstable - a straw hat, from the town in Bedfordshire, England galligaskins - baggy trews of yesteryear, derive their name from a corruption of an old French word for 'Greek-style' glengarry - ribboned Scottish cap for men, named after the northern town guernsey - tight woollen jumper, after the Channel island Homburg - felt hat originally from the German town Inverness - a long coat with a cape, suitable for the weather around the north Scottish city jean - a cotton from Genoa in Italy, giving its name to jeans jersey - fine wool, or the garment properly made from it; from the Channel island more commonly associated with cows jodhpurs - tight, thick trousers for horse-riding, taking their name from the Indian city of Jodhpur where a local maharajah designed them to replace easily torn riding pyjamas kolinski - mink fur from the Kola peninsula in northern Russia madras - a patterned silk fabric from the Indian city melton - a thick cloth originally made in Melton Mowbray, England nankeen - dark cotton material, once a speciality of the Chinese city of Nanking oxford - a light cotton cloth paisley - patterned fabric based on designs from the rainy Scottish town panama - hot-weather hat named after Central American state, despite being from nearby Ecuador polonaise - a woman's frock and underskirt, in the rustic Polish style satin - may derive from the Chinese city of Zaitun, or may not tuxedo - the American jacket for evening wear takes its name from Tuxedo Park, a resort in New York state popular with wealthy socialites in the early 20th century ulster - a long style of overcoat first made in Northern Ireland Some near misses: acton - stuffed military jacket; named from the Arabic for cotton, not the London suburb cardigan - named after a Lord of that name, not the place nubia - woolly headscarf for women, from the latin for cloud; nothing to do with the African area nylon - the man-made fibre was said to be named after New York and London but this is probably not true, the word being a corruption of No-run, the original name suggested. raglan - this overcoat is also named after a lord tweed - from 'twilled' meaning woven; probably not from the Scottish river Source: various |