Q
Quadrille—small even squares or checks.
Quaker—a member of a religious sect having strict rules of dress for both sexes—a case of being particular without being dandified.
Quarter—one-fourth of a yard; a unit of measurement for broad goods, such as cloths, sheeting, blankets, etc., which are generally indicated by the signs 4–4, 5–4, 6–4, 8–4, 10–4, etc. Compare Double-width.
Quarter—that part of a shoe or boot, on either side, from the middle of the heel to the line of the ankle bone; the back part of shoe-uppers. See Vamp.
Quarter blood—wool classification term. See Wool.
Quarter lined—tailoring term for coats partially lined, less so than half lined and but little more than “skeleton”; usually a short, light lining extending around the armhole and in a slanting direction to about half the depth of the forepart, merely covering the interlining.
Quarter round—trade term for buttons considerably rounded on the face, but not quite hemispherical.
Quarter Scotch—see Scotch edge.
Queen’s mourning cloth—a black-and-white or pepper-and-salt cassimere; so called from wide usage after death of Queen Victoria.
Queue—a pendant braid of hair on the back of the head, either natural hair or part of a wig; a pigtail.
Quill—(1) a fluted or cylindrical fold, as in a ruff or ruffle; (2) a large, stiff feather.
Quilling—an edge finish of narrow plaits or fluting resembling quills. See above.
Quilt—an outer bed covering.
Quilt—to stitch together two pieces of material, usually with a third or padding fabric between them and generally in some set or ornamental pattern.
Quilted lining—a layer of cotton batting faced on one or both sides with silk, satin or other cloth and sewed together or quilted in fancy patterns.
Quilting—a heavy, firmly-woven, cotton or linen cloth, similar to matelasse, employed for waistcoats, etc.
Quirt—a riding whip with a short wooden or stiff leather handle and a braided rawhide lash or lashes, about two feet long.
R
Rabat—a sort of bosom or dicky for hot weather wear under coat without waistcoat or collar, usually of silk, either plain or plaited; worn by Catholic clergymen.
Rabbit—lepus cuniculus, lepus sylvaticus, et al., the fur of which is an important item of hat manufacture and is also used for the cheaper fur garments.
Rabbit foot—used by actors and near-actors to blend grease paints, and by the superstitious as a fetich or omen of good luck.
Raccoon—an American nocturnal procyonoid carnivore of the genus Procyon, related to the bears and beloved by the negroes, the pelt of which is largely used in the manufacture of fur garments, overcoat linings, caps and lap robes.
Racing cap—a close-fitting hood or c. for automobiling, skating, etc.
Racing coat—same as Kennel c.
Racing suit—a leather, cloth or rubber coat and trousers, for automobile wear, so fashioned as to afford unusual freedom of movement and by means of straps or elastics at cuffs, neck, etc., to prevent ingress of wind, rain or dust; the outfit is completed by gauntlets, a racing hat or cap, and goggles.
Rag shears—same as Wool s.
Rag, tag and bobtail—(1) a fluttering rag or tatter, as from a garment; (2) odds and ends of merchandise; (3) ragged or worthless people.
Ragged—needing repairs.
Raglan—a loose overcoat, the sleeves of which continue over the shoulders up to the collar. Named after Lord Raglan, who devised a similar garment for the protection of his soldiers during the Crimean war, the idea being to increase their fighting capacity by the greater freedom of action afforded by the peculiar shoulder. The original coat also had sleeves with cuffs that could be turned down over the hands for warmth; gloves being quite unknown.
Rah-rah—a name given with little respect to the voyant affectations of college boys.
Raider hat—a sort of “rough rider” or sombrero h. (fr. Dr. Jameson’s “raiders”?)
Railroad conductor’s uniform—varies with different roads; most commonly a short cutaway frock coat and flapt hip pockets, outside breast pocket and brass buttons, vest and trousers to match, all of dark blue cloth; on some roads the conductors wear double-breasted sack coats, and on others, single-breasted; usually completed with a semi-military cap with insignia.
Railroad seam—tailoring term, same as Cord s. (qv), but stitcht on each side of the join. See R. stitching.
Railroad stitching—in tailoring, a style of edge and seam finishing, consisting of a double row of stitches near the edge or join and a third row at a much greater distance—usually ¹⁄₁₆, ¼ ½ welt; so-called from having originally been a characteristic of r. uniforms.
Rain clothes—(navy) as worn by all enlisted men, consist of hat, coat and trousers of black painted waterproof material, as same pattern as Cape Ann suits. Certain petty officers are allowed to wear a long coat of similar material and style in lieu of the trousers and short coat.
Raincloak—a waterproof cloak.
Raincoat—a mackintosh or waterproof overgarment. See Cravenette.
Raincoat pocket—properly, a vertical p. finisht with a welt or fitted (qv), with an opening thru the lining inside, so that the hands may have access to the trousers or body coat pockets without unbuttoning the raincoat; also made regular horizontal style, opening thru, with outside flaps over the top. See Slasht p.
Raincoating—general name for overcoatings made rainproof by any of various processes, as “Cravenette”, “Cielette”, etc.; generally fine, close woven, round twilled, bare finisht worsteds, usually plain or with a pepper-and-salt effect, and sometimes with a patterned-back.
Rainstick—slang for umbrella.
Raised cuff—a welted effect on a coat sleeve.
Raised seam—see Swell s. and Welt s.
Rake—in certain German settlements, a comb.
Rake-off—graft: know what that is?
Ramie—trade term for the fiber of a nettle-like plant growing in Eastern Asia, of great length, strength, fineness, whiteness and silky luster, used extensivly for underwear, cordage, draperies, etc. Also called rhea, Chinese grass, nettle fiber, cambric, etc.
Ramillies hat—a 1770 military h., the back flap of which turned up sharply, and was not only higher than the crown but higher than the two front flaps, the middle of the front brim being out a bit. See also Cockt h. and Kevenhuller.
Ramillies wig—a w. with a long, gradually diminishing plaited tail tied with a large bow at the top and a smaller one at bottom, the hair bushing out over the ears; first worn in 1706 after battle of Ramillies. Also called R. tail.
Rand—an irregular shaped slip of leather inserted into a (shoe) heel to fill the gap between sole and lifts. Formerly the term was applied to seams.
Random yarn—weaving term for weft yarns wound around with shorter threads of contrasting color.
Rapier—a light, long, narrow sword with a sharp point, adapted for thrusting rather than cutting; a fencing sword; a dress sword.
Rappee—coarse-grained, dark, strong flavored snuff.
Ratine—an overcoating cloth similar to chinchilla but of finer curl.
Rating badge—(navy) specifically a spread eagle above a specialty mark and a class chevron, differentiated by regulation, worn by all petty officers of the starboard watch on the right sleeve and of the port watch on the left sleeve.
Ratteen—a general name of 17th and 18th centuries for coarse woolen cloths. Lighter fabrics were frequently called ratinets.
Rattinet—see Ratteen.
Rattle—a toy that some grown-ups seem still to need.
Raveling—a thread frayed from a fabric.
Raw-edge—a finish used principally on overcoats of heavy cloths like meltons and kerseys, the edges not being turned in, but sewed thru and thru, then evenly pared or trimmed with knife or shears.
Raw-edge pocket—a p. finisht to match the raw edges of garments so made.
Raw seam—(tailoring) the two parts are placed facing one way and overlapping the required distance and stitcht to correspond with the stitching of the edge. See R. edges.
Raw silk—s. as first reeled into skeins and hanks.
Rawhide—(1) untanned drest leather; (2) a whip made of raw cowhide.
Raye—French textil term for patterns of delicate stripes or narrow lines.
Razor—consult the colored gentleman who tidies up the office.
Razor strop—a flexible strap of leather or leather and canvas for stropping or sharpening razors and for walloping unruly sons.
R. D.—tailor’s term applied to a man who has been imperfectly trained. See Right dress.
Readymade—broadly, any garment or article of apparel ready-to-wear or use; more particularly applied to clothing, as distinguisht from tailoring to order.
Readymader—a word coined by the writer of this book, to describe a maker of or dealer in readymade clothing, and used by him in advertising and pickt up by others, of course.
Rear admiral’s uniform—see Special full dress, Full dress, Dress, Service dress, Evening dress, Mess dress, Undress. Also see variants.
Rear pockets—hip p.; skirt p.
Rebate—a deduction, drawback, or discount; for expert definitions consult any railroad, oil company or trust.
Rebato—a falling band or collar turned over upon the shoulders.
Receipt—the most complacent part of a charge account.
Recherche—quite correct and elegant.
Red gold—g. alloyed with copper. Compare Green g. and White g.
Red-herrings—red side whiskers.
Red tan—bark tanned. See Tan.
Redingote—a double-breasted outside coat with long, plain skirts; a French corruption of the English riding coat.
Reefer—(1) a short, heavy overcoat or jacket usually of chinchilla, frieze or other heavy cloth, and double-breasted, commonly worn by seamen, cattlemen and others exposed to the weather; (2) a boys’ coat of similar style.
Reefer—a muffler.
Reel silk—technical term for long silk fibers of all classes.
Reference sample—a small swatch of goods for reference purposes, usually about 3 × 5 inches.
Refine cloth—an extra fine dress c. with a nap resembling broadcloth; used principally for livery; also called Dress refines.
Refinish—see below.
Refinishing—the process of steaming, ironing, etc., for restoring the characteristic mill gloss or finish to woolens, worsteds, etc., after shrinking or sponging.
Refund—to (take back goods sold and) give back the money paid.
Regalia—the distinctiv parts of attire, decorations and symbols of a society or order.
Regimentals—loosely, all articles of military apparel; properly, corps or mess uniforms.
Regular—trade term for readymade garments designed to fit persons of normal build; standard sizes, from which longs, stouts, slims, etc., are variations.
Regular cuffs—see Round c.
Regular made—see Full r.
Regular pocket—a horizontal p. such as you will probably find in your sack coat if it is not a freak garment.
Regular seam—see Plain s.
Regular twist—yarns twisted to the right. (Woolen trade.) See Reverse t.
Regulations—rules of dress prescribed by army, navy and other bureaus.
Re-heel—to put new soles onto footwear, as shoes, hosiery, etc.
Re-sole—to put new soles on shoes, boots, etc.; also stockings.
Reindeer—(1) a fur, more or less authentic, used in glove making; (2) leather ditto.
Reinforced—strengthened by extra layers, strips, welts, gussets or other device of cloth or other material for purposes of strength, wear, etc.
Rejects—trade term for goods rejected for imperfections or for not coming up to standard.
Remnant—any odd length or quantity remaining unsold.
Rentering—tailor’s term for the process of hiding a seam, the stitches themselves being hidden. A plain seam is first sewn to give strength; this is first stretcht open until the sewing is exposed, when a stitch close to the seam is taken, catching but a trifle of the material on one part and a similar part on the other side of the seam, the needle coming out close to the part where it last went in. The seam is next prest out and while the steam is still in the cloth, the nap along it is prickt with a needle point and the nap finally brusht into place.
Repairing—mending, of course.
Repellent—a sort of waterproof cloth of wool, wool-and-cotton or all-cotton.
Reserve stock—merchandise carried in stock-room or warehouse awaiting transferrence to the selling department. Compare Forward s.
Resist dyeing—a process in textil production based on the antipathy of tannic acid to many common dyestuffs; consisting, briefly, in dyeing (cotton, silk, worsted and woolen) yarn in the desired colors and then saturating them in a bath of tannic acid and antimony with an after treatment of tin crystals; the prepared yarns are then woven, according to pattern to be produced, in with regular or “gray” yarn, the resulting fabric being then dyed in the piece, emerging with the prepared yarns showing up in their original colors, in contrast to the “piece dyed” yarn. Compare Batik, Discharge printing, Extracted, Tied-and-dried, Cross dyed, etc.
Retired officer’s uniform—(army) generally, that of his rank when in service, but without certain insignia; they may, at their option, wear the pattern of u. which was prescribed at the time of their retirement, but cannot combine the earlier with the later; (navy) not required to have any other than service dress, if ordered to duty.
Retting—rotting; a process of separating the woody core from the flax fibers preparatory to the operations of spinning, etc; the three principal methods being (1) dew retting, (2) pool retting and (3) retting in running water.
Returnable—privilege allowed customers of bringing back purchases for exchange or refund.
Revamp—to furnish a shoe (boot, etc.), with a new vamp or upper; to mend; to patch up.
Revenue cutter service cap—for officers, of dark blue cloth, having a flat top one-fourth to one-half wider than the base, the sides 2½ to 3 inches high, with a band of lustrous black mohair, and a visor of black patent leather except for captains, whose caps shall have visors of cloth decorated with gold soutache, oak leaves and acorns; service buttons, insignia, etc., per regulations. White caps of same pattern as blue c. Similar caps for cadets and enlisted men.
Revenue cutter service overcoat—for officers, a double-breasted ulster of smooth dark blue cloth, reaching to 9 to 12 inches from the ground, and with deep rolling collar, two rows of 7 plain black buttons on each breast spaced equidistant from knee to throat, belt of same material, and hood of same material for night wear or foul weather; marks, insignia and ornamentation as prescribed. For enlisted men, a similar coat, but reaching only to the knee. For cadets a coat similar to that for officers.
Revenue cutter service uniforms—see Dress, Full dress, Service dress, Social full dress, et var.
Rever—a turned back lapel or cuff.
Reverse twist—yarns twisted to the left. (Woolen trade.) See Regular t.
Reversible vest—a waistcoat (vest) made of two fabrics, usually one dark and one light or one quiet and one fancy, either side of which could be worn exposed to suit the occasion; worn to a limited extent in the last ten years of the last century and recently resurrected. See Vestwo.
Revolver—slang terms are numerous: five-shooter and six-shooter, meat in the pot, blue lightning, peace-maker, Mr. Speaker, black-eyed Susan, pill box, my unconverted friend, barker, persuader, etc.
Rhadame—see Satin r.
Rhea—see Ramie.
Rheumatism ring—a r. of magnetic iron, or of zinc and copper, supposed to be a fetich against aches and pains.
Rhingraves—breeches worn by French courtiers some centuries ago, made wholly by loops of ribbon.
Rib—a ridge or cord formed in the groundwork of a fabric, emphasized on the face.
Riband—old spelling of ribbon.
Ribbed—woven, knitted or markt with ribs, cords or ridges, either structurally or in finishing.
Ribbed Norfolk—name given to a N. jacket (1908) having a continuous set of plaits around the body from yoke to waist, the yoke or upper part and skirt or down part being plain. See also “Stroke coat”.
Ribbon—a narrow band or selvaged strip of silk or velvet. Imagine men nowadays wearing ribbons in quantity—yet they did centuries ago!
Ribbon chopper—fresh term for a salesman in the r. department of a retail store.
Ride—when your tie crawls over your shirt collar, that’s it.
Riding breeches—baggy b. with re-enforced seat, and with cuffs below the knees reaching often below the calf.
Riding cloths—general term for fabrics used for r. breeches, cavalry uniforms, etc., as covert, whipcord, khaki, olive-drab worsted, serge, etc.
Riding coat—a single-breasted frock c. with short, full skirts.
Riding cuffs—leather c. buckling closely around the wrists or over the coat sleeves; often much ornamented; worn chiefly by plainsmen on horseback.
Riding trousers—plain t., with but little leg shape, strapped beneath the shoe, and with re-enforced seat.
Riding whip—a crop.
Rigby cloth—a sort of waterproof c., chemically treated by the “Rigby” process.
Right dress—the wrong way. See Dress.
Right twill—weaving term indicating that the direction of the rib (as of serge, cheviot, etc.) leads from the bottom (goods held lengthwise) upwardly to the right. See Left t.
Rimless spectacles—same as frameless s.
Ring—finger frivolity.
Rip—a tear.
Rip—a pannier or basket for carrying fish.
Rip pocket—term occasionally used for jetted p. (qv).
Rippling—the process of removing the seeds from flax, preparatory to the spinning processes.
Rise—tailor’s term, meaning, from fork (of trousers) to waistline.
River shoe—see Lumbermen’s s.
Roacht—curved upwardly. (Roached.)
Roanoke—a sort of wampum of West Indian shells; currency of early colonial days.
Roast beef dress—English naval slang for full uniform.
Robe—a drest Buffalo skin.
Robe de Calvin—the Geneva gown (qv).
Robe de chambre—a dressing gown or informal morning costume for sybarites.
Robe de nuit—plain night gown.
Robe maker—a m. of official and ceremonial robes and accessories.
Rochet—a close-fitting vestment of linen, somewhat like a short alb or a surplice with tight sleeves; worn by bishops, abbots and certain privileged canons.
Rocking last—trade term for shoes built with soles curved or turning up from the ground. See Flat l.
Roll collar—a long c. without peak or notch; a shawl c.
Rolled gold—technically, a compound plate having a gold face and a back, or an interior filling, of baser metal; largely used for cheap jewelry. Compare G. filled, G. plated, etc.
Roller towel—toweling sewed together at the ends and hung upon a roller, usually found in offices and shops.
Rolling collar—(1) soft, not stiffened by haircloth; (2) shawl c.; (3) a Prussian c.
Roman gold—satin finisht. See Etruscan g.
Roman stripes—trade term for plain, flat, transverse stripes of varying widths and bright contrasting colors, occasionally popular in neckwear silks.
Rompers—general term for one-piece overgarments worn by very young children at play for protection of their better clothes.
Rondache—a round, Highland defensiv target or shield (obsolete).
Roof—a hat.
Roof test—see Exposure t.
Room—trade term used by clothing manufacturers, denoting an allowance or addition to size, particularly across the chest and blades, over regular patterns, when making up cheap, insubstantial fabrics, such allowance being made to offset strain and give seemingly better wear to the garment.
Rope-stitch—in tailoring a heavier s. than usual,—stouter silk being used, the stitches longer and not so tightly drawn; employed mostly on fancy waistcoats.
Roquelaure—“a short abridgment or compendium of a cloak, which is dedicated to the Duke of Roquelaure”. A cloak without hood.
Rosary—a string of beads, for counting a series of prayers, used by Roman Catholics, Mahommedans, Buddhists, etc.
Rose cutting—term for small diamonds (see Chip) having a flat base with a hemispherical or low pyramidal upper surface covered with small and generally irregular facets.
Rose diamond—a splinter. See above.
Roseberry cloth—a light-weight, closely woven, mercerized, waterproof, lustrous cotton fabric, having a fine round cord weftwise of the goods, resembling fine repps, employed for summer automobile garments, raincoats, hunting and fishing capes, etc. A similar cloth, rather heavier, is known as burberry cloth.
Rostrum—facetious for tailor’s block.
Rotten Row—a drive in Hyde Park, London: a resort of the fashionable; from le route de roi (the rout of the king).
Rotting—see Retting.
Rough-and-ready—(1) hat trade term for coarse straws; (2) any garment or article of unusually stout and durable construction and quality; (3) a favorit plug “chewing”.
Rough leather—simple undrest l., as that for shoe soles.
Rough rider—(1) name freely applied to any article of apparel possessing a rough-and-ready military appearance; (2) name of a famous regiment in the Spanish-American war.
Rough rounding—the (machine) process of trimming off and accurately shaping the sole of a shoe.
Round cuffs—detachable shirt c. that button over onto their opposit ends, now being rapidly superseded by link c. (qv).
Round hat—(1) the plain h. worn during Cromwell’s dictatorship; also called Puritan h.; (2) any modern h. resembling or of similar plainness.
Round seam—(glove term) the two edges are placed together and sewed over and over; used only with thin, tough, elastic leathers; also called over-s. and cable s.
Round shouldered—the back rounded or the shoulders stooping.
Roundabout—a short, single-breasted cutaway sack coat or jacket reaching to the waist, worn by boys and young men in the 40’s; later by sailors, mechanics, etc.
Rounding—in hat making, the cutting of brims to the desired pattern.
Rounding gauge—a g. for cutting hat brims.
Rounding jack—a stand or block on which a hat is held while being trimmed round.
Roundsman’s uniform—see Police u.
Rove—a slightly twisted sliver of silk, wool, cotton or other fiber; a slub.
Rove—to join and elongate the slivers of wool, silk or fiber in carding; to draw into thread; to ravel.
Roving—the operation of giving the first twist to thread by machinery. See Drawing.
Roving frame—a slubbing machine.
Roving machine—a machine for winding rovings onto bobbins.
Rowel—the wheel of a spur (qv).
Rowing shirt—a low-necked s. with very large, deep armholes.
Royal bird—see Wig.
Royale—a style of chin whisker, same as Imperial (qv).
Rub stick—a shoemaker’s tool for finishing the bottoms of soles.
Rubber apron—a sort of apron worn by icemen, carriage washers, dairymen, etc.
Rubber cloth—(1) usually cotton sheeting or drilling with a coating of rubber on one side; used for mackintoshes and sometimes for interlining ulsters; (2) a heavy cotton fabric coated on one side with a composition of rubber, usually stampt in imitation of various leathers and employed in cheap hand luggage, carriage tops, etc.
Rubber heels—lifts attacht to shoe heels for ease in walking; also called sneakers.
Rubber tissue—a thin, gummy substance used to save cost of sewing; it unites cloth on being heated and is most used for trousers hems.
Rubbering—the man who is looking thru this book for something shocking that isn’t here.
Rubberized—trade term for waterproof fabrics having one side of silk or other textil fabric and the other of rubber; also for double-faced fabrics with a center of rubber.
Rubbers—see Overshoes.
Rubbing gloves—see Bath mittens—quite similar.
Rubbing strap—a long, narrow band of knitted wool, terry toweling, etc., for use in the bath—it reaches the back. Also called Bath s.
Ruck sack—a form of pack used by mountain climbers in the Alps and elsewhere.
Rucked—wrinkled, crumpled. (Ruckt preferable.)
Ruff—a plaited, crimpt or fluted collar or frill, especially a very broad, full and stiffly starcht one.
Ruffles—we wore them once on shirt-fronts, at our wrists, and elsewhere—and we might do worse today.
Rug—a heavy shawl carried by travelers as protection against cold.
Rugby toe—one of the numerous shoemaking terms for a medium narrow t.
Rumchunder—an India silk stuff.
Rummage sale—a bargain sale of truck and odds and ends.
Rumple—to wrinkle or muss.
Run—a slipt thread or threads in underwear, hosiery, gloves or other article of similar fabric, resulting in a progressiv widening and lengthening of the damage or “run”.
Runner—a name applied to a certain kind of calf upper leathers, a runner being a grown-up calf or heifer; the term calfskin being applied to a skin that would not measure over fourteen square feet—while a runner might measure three or four feet more.
Running pants—shapeless, light cotton things not reaching to the knees.
Running shoes—low, soft leather s. with light turned sole, with or without cleats.
Running stitch—a tailoring s. made in a straight line, one in front of another, of various lengths and distances apart, but averaging about ¼ inch each in length; used mostly for basting sleeve linings for try-on.
Rush order—to be gotten out ahead of the usual course.
Russet—coarse, peasant-loomed cloth used in homemade garments, originally of reddish brown color, tho name clings to variations.
Russia leather—a fine quality of calf l. tanned in willow bark, dyed in cochineal and sandalwood, finisht with stannic chlorid and drest with birch-bark oil, having a brownish red color, a fragrant odor and the properties of resisting insects, moisture, etc.
Russian braid—soutache (qv).
Russian collar—a variety of Prussian c. (qv) applied to ulsters, etc.—standing higher, turned down, and meeting in front; also called Cadet c.
Russian duck—a fine quality of white linen canvas, used for hot-weather garments.
Russian marmot—a fur used mostly for coat linings.
Russian overcoat—same as cadet o.
Russian sable—an animal of the weazel family, living in the extreme north of Russia, highly prized for its rich brown fur. See Sable.
Russian turban—a cap with a high round crown and a double band forming the sides.
Russian vest—a double-breasted waistcoat, buttoning close up to the neck, worn in cold weather.
Rusty—said of black which is faded or shows signs of fading.
Ryder—cant for cloak.
S
Saber—a heavy sword with one cutting edge and a thick back.
Saber belt—(army) a waist b. with detachable slings, to be worn outside the full dress coat, by all officers except chaplains. For general officers, except brigadier generals, of red russia leather with gold embroidery and russia leather slings; for brigadier generals, of black webbing with russia leather slings; for all field officers, of black enameled leather with a stripe of gold lace; for officers of the staff corps and departments, except engineers, below rank of field officer, of black enameled leather with four stripes of black-and-gold; for officers of cavalry, artillery and infantry, of black enameled leather with four stripes of gold wire lace interwoven with silk of the color of the arm of the service; for officers of engineers, same as for officers of artillery.
Saber knot—(army) for full dress and dress occasions of heavy gold cord with acorn ends, for general officers; and of gold and black mixt for all other officers, except chaplains; on other occasions, of plaited russet leather; all according to regulation pattern.
Sable—an animal related to and not unlike the marten, yielding a dark fur highly prized for winter garments.
Sabot—a rude shoe made of wood, worn by peasants in France and elsewhere.
Sabretache—a leather pocket hung from the left side of the sword belt; a popinjay military ornament.
Sack cloth—a coarse obsolete material doubtless worn for ostentatious penitence.
Sack coat—properly a plain, short c., without skirts, either single or double-breasted, made up of two foreparts and a single or divided back part, and with two or more pockets with in-and-out flaps, tho other varieties of pockets are also employed (as welt, patch, etc.). Also called lounge c. The Norfolk jacket is a variety of sack c., and the Chesterfield overcoat is a true sack c., tho long.
Sack-frock cutaway—a 1908 frock coat resembling a walking frock without a frock waist seam, but having a sidebody seam from a cut waistline to the shoulder.
Sack raglan—see Raglan.
Sacque—an infant’s undershirt.
Sad-color—brown or browny.
Saddle—a padded or cushioned seat put upon a horse’s back out of mercy for the beast.
Saddle coat—a waterproof c. so contrived as to cover wearer, and saddle pommel and cantle; a “pommel slicker”.
Saddle-piece—a re-enforcement of the seat and legs of riding breeches, usually of same material, or, occasionally, of leather.
Saddle seam—a s. sewn as saddlers sew leather, with edges turned outwardly.
Sadra—the sacred surplice worn by Parsees of both sexes from the age of seven; emblematic of the coat of mail worn in ancient times by the Guebers to ward off the attacks of the evil spirit Ahriman.
Safety-pin—our first acquaintance with hardware.
Safety razor—a scraping apparatus for the timid and thin-skinned.
Sag—to lose shape, give way, bag, pull, etc.
Sagathy—an obsolete woolen stuff famed for durability.
Sahara buck—African deerskin glove leather.
Sail cloth—a sort of canvas once popular for stiffening the fronts of coats.
Sailmaker’s palm—a variety of mitten or glove used by sailmakers and others in sewing canvas and heavy fabrics; commonly a band of sole leather, fitting around the broad part of the hand, with a thumb-stall, and having a metal thimble attacht to the inner side or palm.
Sailor collar—a c. narrow at the front of the neck, reaching back in straight lines over the shoulders and cut straight across at right angles about half way of the shoulder blades, usually as part of a blouse worn by sailors and children; name also given to a detachable linen c. (or of other material) of similar shape, worn by children.
Sailor knot—said of a cravat tied as a four-in-hand, but with the k. drawn tight.
Sailor suit—a s. for small boys, consisting of a sailor blouse and knee pants. Compare Middy s.
Sailor’s blouse—see Naval overshirt.
Sailor’s trousers—similar to ordinary t., except that they are made with front falls (qv) and made to bell or flare out at the bottoms; usually with laced back. Also called gun-mouthed t.
St. Crispin—patron saint of shoemakers.
St. Kilda—a variety of Scotch tweed (from a town of that name).
Sakcorb studs—see Boot s.
Sakkos—a tight-fitting garment, symbolizing the seamless robe of Christ, worn by Greek metropolitans and Russian bishops.
Saleslady—cause of agitation or awe to a masculin customer.
Salesman—an individual deserving of a scientific commission to study his peculiarities.
Sallet—a variety of helmet.
Saltaire—a manufacturing town in England, founded by Sir Titus Salt, a celebrated cloth factor and the discoverer of alpaca.
Sample—a tiny bit of cloth seldom of sufficient size to show a complete pattern; a specimen of any article or material.
Sample book—a b. containing numbered swatches of cloths, often with fashion plates, and frequently platitudinous eulogistic rhodomontades.
Sample trunk—the drummer’s excess baggage.
Sanatory—the Dr. Jaeger spelling of sanitary. See Sanitary wool.
Sandal—(1) a kind of shoe, consisting usually of a sole only, of leather or other material, but sometimes with a shield for the heel and a cap for the toes, held to the foot by thongs, cords, etc.; (2) a light, fancy slipper; (3) a light, low-cut rubber overshoe.
Sandalwood—a peculiarly sensuous, aromatic, oriental perfume distilled from the essential oil of santal (which has also certain pronounced medicinal properties).
Sandbag—used by footpads for love taps and lucre.
Sandown—a frock overcoat; a sort of Newmarket (qv).
Sandpapering—in shoe making, the act or operation of “scouring” or sandpapering the bottoms of shoes by means of a roll covered with sandpaper which is rapidly revolved by power, scouring off the surface of the outer sole as one of the preliminary operations for final finishing of the bottom of a shoe.
Sandwich brim—trade term for straw hats having brims of two or more kinds of braid or with an inlay or edging of different color.
Sanitary wool—a profit-making name for natural w. undergarments.
Sans culotte—literally, a man without breeches; particularly, an anarchist or demagog; loosely, a tatterdemalian.
Saranac—general term for buckskin and other leather gloves, tanned grain on, and having a yellow color.
Sarcanet—a fine, thin silk fabric, woven by the Saracens originally and much esteemed during the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries for its richness; probably dates to 13th century; more recently used for linings.
Sarong—(1) a primitiv garment, consisting of a plain piece of cotton cloth wrapt around the hips and upper legs, worn by natives of the Indian archipelago and elsewhere; (2) the printed cotton cloth sold therefor.
Sarsenet—see Sarcanet.
Sartor—a patcher, hence a tailor.
Sartor resartus—the patcher patcht.
Sartorial—pertaining to a tailor or the patching art.
Sartorial solecism—(1) the wearing of any garment out of its proper place, at the wrong time or in an incorrect manner, as evening dress in the day time, colored linen with formal attire, etc.; (2) any violation of good form in matters of dress; (3) any exhibition of bad taste or lack of acquaintance with dress usages; (4) any ostentatious display or vulgarity in manner, form or usage, as freak garments, an unconventional manner of wearing a garment, etc., (5) deficient in dignity.
Sash—(1) an ornamental band, scarf, strip or belt worn around the waist or over the shoulder, as part of the costume and by military officers and others as badges of distinction; (2) in Oriental countries a long band of fine material wound about the head to form a turban.
Sash—(army) a long strip of silk trimmed with gold fringe, buff colored for general officers above the grade of brigadier generals, and by them worn across the body from right shoulder to the left side; of same for brigadier generals, and by them worn around the waist tied in a double bow; for chief of artillery, of scarlet silk, tied around the waist.
Sashoon—a soft leather pad placed about the leg inside of a boot to protect the limb or aid the fit of the boot.
Sassiety—a sassy bunch of upstarts.
Satchel—a light handbag for small luggage; a schoolboy’s book bag.
Sateen—a fine thread, coarse twilled cotton cloth, of soft texture and glossy finish; used for linings, night shirts, pajamas, etc.; the heavier qualities used for corsets, shoe linings, etc.
Satin—a silk fabric of a thick, close texture, with a smooth, glossy surface and dull back, produced by a method of weaving that reduces the number of crossings of filling and warp, the glossy face being obtained by finishing between hot rollers; also made with a cotton back.
Satin buttonhole—made as described under buttonhole making but using a fine silk twist and making close, even stitches; also known as flat b. Contrast Gimp b.
Satin damask—a s. with a rich flower or arabesque pattern, sometimes raised in velvet pile.
Satin de chine—a fine, soft silk fabric used for linings, etc.
Satin de Lyon—s. with a croise or ribbed back.
Satin delaine—a thin, glossy satin wove woolen cloth.
Satin duchesse—a fine quality of s. of high luster and soft texture, technically exprest as “8 leaf twill”—better see encyclopedia.
Satin foulard—foulard s. with a lustrous satiny face. See Foulard.
Satin merveilleux—a fine twilled, plain dyed s. used for linings, women’s wear, etc. See Merveilleux.
Satin rhadame—an all-silk or silk and cotton lining and dress fabric, plain dyed, the face crost or broken by fine twilled lines extending diagonally across the web; similar to surah but of stouter texture and more luster. See Rhadame.
Satin stitch—a s. in embroidery, either flat or raised, repeated in parallel lines, producing a satiny appearance; used also in fine, handmade buttonholes.
Satin surah—a variety of s. lining silk with a very smooth lustrous face. See Surah.
Satin Turk—a soft finisht, s. face, twilled back silk material, used for waistcoats, linings, shoe tops, etc. Also called Turk’s s.
Satin weave—a smooth, glossy effect achieved by floating the filling (or warp) threads on the face of the fabric, afterward slightly gigging, milling and finishing the face to effect a compact, lustrous fabric.
Satine—see Sateen.
Satinet—an inferior variety of cloth, woven, usually, of cotton warp and shoddy weft (which is mixt with enough long wool to enable it to be spun and woven in a way to bring the filling to the surface of the cloth), in manner known as 4-end twill, resulting in a close satiny surface; after weaving the cloth is fulled and often flockt to increase density and weight, next sheared and prest, and finally printed in checks, stripes, plaids, etc., in imitation of cassimere.
Satinisco—satin of a cheap quality.
Satiny—resembling satin.
Satteen—incorrect. See Sateen.
Saw edges—an ornamental finish given to collars, cuffs, etc., by the best laundry in town.
Sawed-off pants—slang for knee breeches.
Saxony—(1) a sort of tweed or fine cheviot, really or allegedly of fine Saxony wool; (2) a long-napt, velour finisht cassimere or other soft finisht woolen fabric.
Say—a light-weight, woolen fabric, similar to serge, used in Europe from 11th to 18th centuries, for men’s wear, afterward employed in this country until the fore half of the 19th century as a lining material, and for shirts, aprons, etc.
Scads—a generic name for money in the West.
Scallop—a 17th century collar or neckband with scallopt edges.
Scallopt—having a series of semi-circular projections or curves along an edge, for ornamental or other purposes. (Scalloped.)
Scamped—made or finisht in a dishonest or indifferent and careless manner. (Scampt preferable.)
Scarf—a cravat.
Scarf fastener—a device, of gold or other metal, often ornamental, for securing a cravat against slipping or loosening, attaching to the shirt bosom that the scarf may not ride up on one’s collar.
Scarf pin—an ornamental p., of gold, silver, etc., for wear with four-in-hand and ascot cravats, often expensivly set with jewels. Commendable if used for fastening a cravat; condemnable if used for ostentation.
Scarf retainer—see S. fastener.
Scarf-ring—a flattened r., in one piece, or with a hinged pin, or hinged and with a spike on the inner side of the back part, thru which a scarf (as the De Joinville [qv] is drawn).
Scarfings—see Cravatings.
Schappe—general term for materials made of spun silk in the gum, i. e., the damaged cocoons and waste products from reeling.
Schmaschen—leather for gloves made from the skins of still-born kids and lambs; more freely, any inferior glove leather.
School bag—ever hide one to play hooky?
School suit—trade term for boys’ suits of stout fabrics and stout construction to withstand as much grief as possible, and also sufficiently low-price as not to be a matter of remorse when the inevitable tears and smudgings come.
Schooner pants—trousers made with spring or flaring bottoms, after sailor fashion.
Scimitar—a deeply curved, one-edged sword of Oriental countries.
Scotch edge—term used to designate the degree to which the outer sole of a shoe is extended beyond the upper sole where it joins the outer sole. “Full Scotch” designates a very wide extension, and in varying degree. Half s., quarter s., close e. describing the narrower degrees of extension.
Scotch finish—the close sheared or melton finish given to certain heavy woolen cloths; a result of gigging or napping woolen goods in imitation of melton. Compare Bareface f., Velvet f., Dress faced.
Scotch knit—used mostly in connection with woolen mittens or gloves knit, by hand or machine, in Scotch patterns or color effects.
Scotch mixtures—hard to describe; if you don’t know ask a woolen house for samples.
Scotch tweed—the official definition proposed by the South of Scotland Chamber of Commerce is “an all-wool cloth made in Scotland from wool spun in Scotland”, to distinguish from similar goods made, either wholly or in part, elsewhere.
Scoured wool—term applied to tub-washt wool fleece thoroly cleansed with warm water and soap and rinsed in cold water; ready for manufacture.
Scouring—a washing operation by which the grease and dirt is removed from the fleece. See above.
Scouring—see Sandpapering. This (shoemaking) term also applies to finishing the heels, the surfaces of which are sandpapered or scoured before final operations are completed.
Scouring ball—soap mixt with various detergents as oxgall, fullers’ earth, infusolial silica, etc., for removing grease, etc., from cloths.
Scout’s uniform—(army) same as for enlisted men of the corresponding arm of the service with distinguishing insignia.
Scraper—an implement of metal, stone, bone or other material used in dressing hides.
Scrappers—see Barefoot sandals.
Scratch—see Wig.
Scrim—a thin, plain, open-woven material used largely as an interlining; a sort of cheesecloth.
Scuff—in New England, a light shoe or slipper.
Scuffed—said of leather abraded by rough usage. (Scuft.)
Scutching—in linen manufacturing the process of dressing the raw flax by beating, separating therefrom all woody and foreign matter; in cotton manufacture, the process of separating the fibers after cleansing and loosening by the picker preparatory to carding; in silk manufacturing the process of arranging the floss and refuse preparatory to carding.
Scye—tailoring term for the armhole of a garment.
Scye depth—an imaginary line drawn entirely around the body at the lower level of the arm scye, as from nape to opposit armpit on back seam.
Scye measure—the circumference of the armhole. Compare Closing m.
Sea Island—general term for cotton grown on the islands off the Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Texas coasts; having a fiber of uncommon length, fineness and silky luster.
Seal—an aquatic animal, the pelts of which are highly prized in the manufacture of fur garments, fur caps, etc.; and the leather in the manufacture of pocketbooks, belts, traveling bags, shoes, etc.
Seal ring—a finger r. with a bezel usually of precious stone, engraved with symbol, arms or monogram, and used as a seal; a signet r.; anciently an emblem of authority, used to stamp documents in place of signature, or its temporary investment in another person gave the power to cut a throat or scuttle a ship or engage in other pleasantries.
Seam—any place where two parts of a garment are sewed or joined together; a “join”. Seams are principally known as plain s., cord s., double-stitcht s., lap s., swelled s., welt s., raw s., strap s., cemented s., braided s., piped s., strapt s., raised s., serged s., open welt s., etc., which see elsewhere.
Seam press stand—a long, narrow ironing board or stand for pressing seams.
Seaman’s shirt—see Naval overshirt.
Seaman’s trousers—see Naval t.
Seamed back—tailor’s term for coats made with a center seam in the back. Compare Whole b.
Seamen’s uniforms—see Dress, Undress, Working; also variants.
Seamless—knitting term for hosiery made on a circular knitting frame and having a seam only at the toe, extra shaping, when required, being effected by steam-shrinking. Compare Full regular.
Seasoning—a process in leather manufacturing following that of perching and prior to that of polishing; often repeated after first polishing.
Seat—tailor’s term for measurement taken around that prominent part of a man’s anatomy known as chair-warmer.
Seat wheeling—see Heel s. w.
Second mourning—black relieved by white; or dark gray.
Seconds—imperfect goods.
Seconds—see Wool.
Section work—tailoring term meaning made entirely by operators on machines, each operator doing a certain detail or part of the work and then passing it along to another who does something else; no hand tailoring enters into this process, which is employed almost exclusivly for the less expensiv grades of readymade clothing and by cheap tailors. Also called Hand-to-hand made.
Sedan beaver—a fine grade of b. cloth made in Sedan, France.
Seedy—needing refurbishing.
Seersucker—originally a thin linen fabric like gingham; now simply cotton gingham with or without alternate crinkled stripes effected in weaving by varying the tension of the warp yarns; usually in two-color effects, as blue and white.
Selby—an apron for four-in-hand or tandem driving, strapt around the waist, reaching to ankle when standing; named after Jem Selby, a well-known professional whip tooling four-in-hand between London and Brighton.
Selby coat—a short, very full and boxy, double-breasted top c. for driving.
Self-acting rubbers—trade term for rubber overshoes having a small projecting point at the back of the heel, by means of which, held down by the other foot, each (over) shoe may be easily removed.
Self collar—tailor’s term for a c. made of the same goods as body of garment.
Self-figured—a figured pattern achieved in the loom; not printed; generally used in connection with solid color fabrics.
Self measurement—any scheme or method for ascertaining the sizes of garments, etc., ordered by mail, sometimes possible alone, but as often requiring assistance.
Self shank—trade term for buttons with a laterally pierced s., as in pearl, or more loosely, a cloth s., as in covered buttons.
Selling sample—any length of goods or any garment or article from which orders are taken.
Selvage—the web edge of a fabric; list.
Selvedge—same as Selvage.
Semi-clerical sack coat—the ordinary single-breasted, square-cornered s. c.; usually worn with clerical waistcoat.
Semi-dress—informal d.
Semi-fitting—neither close nor loose; partly shaped.
Semi-frock—the cutaway or morning coat.
Semi-precious stone—valuable, but not sufficiently so to be clast as a true gem.
Semi-ready—proprietary term for readymade clothing provided with ample outlets at necessary places, sometimes left unfinisht at cuffs, and basted with a white thread in various places to give a partly finisht effect. Stores featuring this clothing when controlled by the parent company, are called semi-ready wardrobes, and are mostly located in Canada.
Semi-staple—term descriptiv of men’s wear, goods that are neither wholly in the staple class (as are most plain weave, black and blue fabrics), nor yet may be clast as novelties, as are fancy weaves, bright-colored patterns, etc., but comprising such goods as gray and brown shades in serges, diagonals, etc.
Sennit—a peculiarly plaited straw braid showing serrated edges on one side; a straw hat of such braid; contraction of “sevenknitt”. See Brab.
Separable button—term usually applied to cuff b. mounted on a post to which a clip, screw or lever device permits attachment and detachment of the top or bottom parts, supposedly a convenience for inserting in stiff linen.
Separable stud—see S. button.
Serape—a narrow blanket, usually brilliantly colored, worn over the shoulder or over a saddle. (Mexico, Spain, etc.)
Serge—general name for twill woven fabrics. Suitings are usually of worsted yarn and with a rather flattish, diagonal twill; also made with worsted warp and wool filling; generally plain dyed.
Serge—a lining material of cotton or linen warp and wool or mohair filling, woven three-leaf twill.
Serge de berri—lasting (qv).
Sergeant’s uniform—see Full dress, Dress u., White u., Service u., Fatigue u. Also variants.
Serged seams—in tailoring, the edges are basted or “serged” and the seam itself usually stitcht twice, first as a plain seam and then again thru both seam-edges, which are turned one way instead of prest open; mostly used on loosely woven fabrics.
Sergedusoy—a coarse silk stuff of 18th century, used for men’s coats and waistcoats.
Serging—an overcasted stitch employed to hold ravelly edges of seams. See Serged seams.
Seri-culture—silk culture.
Service belt—(army) see Army b.
Service breeches—(army) for officers: of same material as s. coat, without stripe, welt or cord; cut loose about the seat and above the knees, fitting closely below the knee and extending to tops of shoes, fastening with tapes, laces or buttons; for mounted officers the seat and legs re-enforced with same material; for enlisted men: of olive-drab woolen or khaki-colored cotton material, to match s. coat; cut loose above knee and close-fitting below, fastened with tapes or laces; in general conforming to the pattern prescribed for officers; for mounted use, with re-enforcement or saddle piece, of same material, on seat and legs.
Service cap—(army) for officers: a regulation c. of olive-drab serge trimmed with a band of mohair braid, and with a drooping visor of black enameled leather, with chin strap of same; worn with prescribed badge and with olive-drab uniform by all officers. Also the cotton khaki c. of similar model, but having a detachable top and no band. For enlisted men: of olive-drab serge, conforming to corresponding c. for officers, but without the lustrous braid. Also of cotton khaki, with detachable covers.