Choice—see Wool.

Choiling—cutlery term for the operation of filing the little nick in a blade just between the cutting edge and the tang.

Choir vestments—see Cassock, Cotta, Surplice, etc.

Choked bellows—an underlaying accordion plait around a pocket (usually of the patcht variety) for purposes of increast capacity. See Bellows pocket.

Choker—any tall (and uncomfortable) shirt collar, especially a plain standing collar.

Chopper—in tailoring establishments a man who lays the paper patterns made by the “cutter” on to the cloth, marks same, and “chops” or cuts the cloth. Compare Cutter.

Chopper—a heavy leather working glove or mitten.

Chorus shirt—see Ballet s.

Chrome kid—goat skins tanned and finisht by the salts of aluminum or chromic acid method. See Vici k.

Chuddah—(1) a fine wool shawl made in India; (2) also the wool of which it is made.

Church-of-England hat—a low, round-crowned, felt h. with plain, flat brim, sometimes (erroneously) called shovel h. (qv).

Cigar case—a leather or metal pocket c. for cigars.

Cigar magazine—(1) same as c. case; also (2) a humidor.

Cigaret case—a metal pocket c. for coffin nails.

Cimeter—see Scimitar.

Cinch—a belt.

Cincture—a clerical girdle of serge or other stuff with silk fringed ends.

Circular cape—any c. the outer edges of which, spread flat, conform to the shape of a circle, and generally understood to mean without shaping at the shoulders.

Civet—the glandular secretion of the civet cat, most repulsiv and disgusting in its original state, but, properly compounded, practically indispensable in the imitation of certain floral perfumes.

Civilian dress—distinguishes our everydayness from army and navy magnificence.

Clad—clothed.

Clan tartan—any and all of the plaids of the various highland clans of Scotland.

Claque—a sort of semi-circle of felt, which it was the fashion in France, in the early part of the last century, to carry under the arm instead of wearing it on the head.

Clasp—a ball-and-socket glove fastener. See Snaps.

Class chevron—(navy) angled stripes of scarlet cloth forming part of the rating badge (qv) indicating rank of the wearer.

Classy—a term often used by misfit shops and cheap “gents’ furnishers” as implying some aristocratic distinction.

Clatty—dishevelled; untidy.

Claudent—a readymade scarf or plastron tied like an ascot or puff, but without fullness and flat as a pancake.

Clawhammer—see Evening dress.

Clay—a name given to serges, worsteds and diagonals woven after the process of J. & B. Clay, of Huddersfield, England.

Clay worsted—see above and Worsted.

Clean—well made; of good quality, texture, lines, styles, workmanship, etc.

Clear finish—trade term for worsted cloths from which all nap or fuzz has been removed, as serge, “hard finish” worsteds, etc.

Clearing sale—the effort made by one merchant to show how much cheaper he is than the other fellow.

Clerical cape overcoat—similar to an Inverness o., the cape buttoning in front.

Clerical collar—(1) a coat and waistcoat c., straight standing, not turned over, similar to that known as military c. (qv); on the waistcoat, however, the clerical c. buttons behind and has a continuous front; (2) a separable linen shirt c. closed in front and buttoning behind, the Anglican c. being single and the Roman double or folded.

Clerical frock coat—a single-breasted frock c. with straight skirts (not cutaway), buttoned from waist line to throat, usually with 7 buttons, with military collar.

Clerical full dress—as worn by Anglican clergymen, consists of a sort of single-breasted cutaway frock coat without revers, buttoning to the throat, with a military collar; a cassock waistcoat and plain trousers.

Clerical girdle—a sort of cincture of black or white worsted or silk rope with tasseled ends.

Clerical sack coat—a square-cornered single-breasted s. c., without revers, usually with 6 buttons, closing to the throat, with military collar.

Clerical shirt—a plain white linen s. without a made bosom, but with a simple placket.

Clerical shirt collar—see Clerical c. (2).

Clericals—short, close-cropt side whiskers.

Clerk—an absolutely impeccable individual.

Cleveland hat—a white or light-colored felt h., shaped like the silk top h., popular during the first Cleveland administration.

Clip—a season’s “crop” of wool; a shearing. See Wool c.

Clips—waste bits of cloth and other materials, saved and sold to converters.

Cloak—a loose outergarment without sleeves; a cape.

Cloak room—a shuffling place for umbrellas, hats, overcoats and rubbers.

Cloaking—any fabric suitable for men’s or women’s cloaks or overcoats, such as kersey, broadcloths, beaver, vicuna, chinchilla, etc.

Clock—narrow stem of silk embroidery on either side of a stocking, extending beyond the ankle and ending in a spear or crowsfoot; also a similar effect in drawn work.

Clockmutch—a night cap, from the Dutch clapmuts; a form of headdress which, tho still worn in Holland, is rarely seen in America.

Clodhopper—an awkward, clumsy fellow.

Clodhoppers—(1)extra large, ill-fitting shoes; (2) big feet.

Clog—(1) a dancing shoe; (2) an overshoe.

Clogs—wooden soles, usually iron shod, with leather straps for fastening.

Close edge—see Scotch e.

Close-fitting—said of a coat or other garment made tight or snug fitting, or shaped closely to the body.

Close-roll—trade term for umbrellas constructed on metal rods and covered with fine silk or other material that will roll closely into small compass. See Tight r.

Closed front—see Meeting folder.

Closed gauntlet—a mailed protectiv covering for the hand and wrist with immovable fingers, with the exception of one joint, so that in the shock of meeting an adversary, the weapon of the wearer, held fast in the fixt fingers, might not be dropt out of the hand—a device which, in the tournaments of those days, was considered as giving an unfair advantage over one’s adversary, and was usually proscribed.

Closed shop—a s. where a workman who refuses to join a labor union cannot find employment.

Closed trousers—tailors’ term for t. made for customers who stand with their legs close together, the inseam being shorter than is required for open t., which see.

Closers—in ready-to-wear clothing manufacture, operators who put together the sides, back and front seams of a coat, making the outer shell only.

Closing measure—in tailoring a measure taken over the shoulder from front to rear of sleeve head at under-level of arm scye. Compare Scye m.

Cloth—in the woolens trade, a word used generally, to distinguish close-woven, fulled and milled or napt fabrics made of woolen yarn from those made of worsted yarns in various fancy weaves and not compacted but given various finishes, as “clear”, “unfinisht”, etc.

Cloth beam—in a loom a roller or b. on which the woven fabric is wound.

Cloth board—a piece of wood on which bolts of woolens, linings, shirtings, etc., are wound into bolts; also made of heavy paper pulp b., and wood-and-paper.

Cloth brush—name commonly given to a b. of bristles set in a wooden back, to distinguish from whisk broom, altho the latter is often so called.

Cloth button—a b. made on a mold and covered with cloth matching the garment.

Cloth fair—an English custom of the 17th century, annual exhibits and sales being held by the weavers and factors.

Cloth knife—a very long tapering blade for cutting many layers of material at a time, working in a groove in the cutting table.

Cloth-lapper—one who folds cloth in the piece, generally by means of machinery.

Cloth of gold—generally heavy brocaded silk textures, inwrought with gold threads. More precise information can be had with research—you might commence with Deuteronomy xxxix. 3, and work up to the present.

Cloth of iron—see Iron c.

Cloth-stitch—a close s., like the weave of cloth.

Cloth tester—a machine for testing, from a small sample, the tensil strength of fabrics.

Cloth (the)—the clergy.

Cloth-teazeler—a machine for raising a nop on cloth by teazeling.

Clothes—consult Baker’s “Dictionary of Men’s Wear”.

Clothes hamper—a basket for soiled clothes.

Clothes line—a rope on which washing is hung out to dry.

Clothes press—a closet for clothes; a wardrobe.

Clothes tongs—an implement for grappling cloths or garments and removing them from a dying vat.

Clothier—(1) one who sells ready-to-wear clothing—distinguisht from the tailor in that he usually gets his money in advance; (2) a manufacturer of clothes.

Clothing—garments and apparel, considered as a whole.

Clothing wool—fine fleece 2 to 4 inches long, intended for woolen or carded yarn, usually graded as picklock, XXX, XX, X, No. 1 and No. 2, the first being the finest, the last the coarsest; the name of locality where obtained is also prefixt. See Wool. Compare Combing w.

Clouded yarn—weft y., characterized by alternate thick and thin places thruout its length.

Cloudy—trade term for goods not perfectly dyed and uneven in color. Compare “Off color” and “Shaded”.

Club—a place for the idle rich to sit in the windows for the inspection of pretty girls passing by.

Club—see Wig.

Club check—small quiet checks.

Club coat—see Dinner jacket.

Club tie—see Graduated t.

Coaching hat—a felt h. similar to a derby, but with a flat or square top.

Coachman’s box overcoat—a double-breasted top coat, of covert, kersey or whipcord, for wear with stable suit or undress livery.

Coachman’s collar—a standing shirt c. usually on a band and having well rounded corners.

Coachman’s frock coat—a single-breasted skirted c. closing with six buttons, usually matching the metalwork of the harness, large pocket flaps at waistline without pockets, four buttons on skirt.

Coachman’s hat—(1) a tall felt h. having a bell crown with a flat top; (2) a variety of Derby h. with a flattish top.

Coachman’s livery—Dress: body coat, breeches and boots, silk hat, greatcoat in winter. Undress: cutaway coat, breeches, square-crown derby or bell-crown hat, leggins, selby or top coat in winter; jacket and trousers often substituted for the skirted coat and breeches.

Coachman’s overcoat—a double-breasted frock o., buttoning close to the neck with a double row of six buttons, Prussian collar, large pocket flaps at waistline, the skirt folds showing turned back revers or side edges (qv).

Coachmen’s proof—an extra heavy waterproofing process, as applied to raincoatings, etc., intended for severe wear.

Coat—an outergarment for the upper part of the body as body c. (sack, cutaway, frock, dress, etc.), and overcoat (top coat, Chesterfield, Newmarket, paletot, raincoat, Inverness, ulster, etc.)

Coat case—see Portmanteau, Suit c., etc.

Coat front—trade term for a built-up stiffening or shape-retaining interlining for the fronts of coats, made of stitcht layers of haircloth, felt and canvas.

Coat label—(1) a l. of cotton or linen, usually sewed within the inside breast pocket, containing besides the tailor’s name the name of the customer, date and number of order; (2) a woven silk l. bearing the name and address of the maker, usually sewed inside at back of neck.

Coat link—a pair of buttons linkt together, or a button and a loop, used for closing or fastening a coat, as a dress coat.

Coat maker—a journeyman tailor who makes coats his specialty.

Coat money—a tax levied by Charles I. ostensibly for clothing the army.

Coat of mail—defensiv armor worn by those afraid to die.

Coat pad—general term for any made-up padding or wadding, as shoulder-pads, coat fronts, etc.

Coat shirt—a s. open all the way down the front and put on like a c., whence name.

Coat sweater—a knitted jacket or sweater (qv) opening all the way down the front and closing with buttons; with sleeves, but usually without collar, much like a cardigan jacket.

Coat-tail pocket—see Skirt p.

Coat-tails—the skirts of a frock c.

Coatee—(1) a very short coat of 1757; (2) a cadet’s uniform coat.

Coating—tailoring term for all fine woolen and worsted cloths especially suitable for dress coats, such as broadcloth, crepe, unfinisht worsted, vicuna, refines, etc.; also applied to overcoatings.

Coatlet—a dummy sample showing how a coat will look when made up; a means of showing piece goods by swatches cut and finisht much like a coat front, the effect being enhanced by displaying a number of such dummies in an overlapping row. (Name and system proprietary.)

Cobble—to patch or repair boots or shoes; used in the sense of rough or clumsy work.

Cobbler—(1) a mender of boots and shoes; (2) a clumsy or indifferent workman.

Cobweb—unusually thin, sheer and transparent, as c. hosiery.

Cochineal—bug juice; a red dye.

Cockade—a roset or knot of ribbon, leather, bullion, etc., worn on the hat as a badge of service, military, diplomatic or (improperly) domestic, etc.

Cocking—tailor’s term for critical inspection of finisht garments for discovery of mistakes—derived doubtless from an affected manner of squinting or “cocking the eye” on the part of the zealous examiner.

Cockle—see below.

Cockling—trade term for a wrinkled, puckered or shriveled effect or apparent defect in cloths, usually the result of lack of uniformity in warp and filling yarns, or uneven twist of either or both, or imperfect crabbing (qv), etc., chiefly encountered in light-weight fabrics and especially in such styles as loom-checks, mixt warp suitings, etc.

Cockt hat—a h. of various shapes, sometimes turned up in front only, with one button, and also with three laps, often richly trimmed with metal cords, buttons, laces, ribbons, etc.; see Kevenhuller. See also Chapeau. (Cocked h.)

Cocoon—the covering or chrysalis envelop spun by the silk worm, from which the filaments entering into the manufacture of silk are obtained.

C. O. D.—collect on delivery—otherwise you could have a charge account.

Codfish—the airs, frills and pretensions of the new rich; affected stylishness.

Codfish aristocracy—the “smart set” that furnishes the market for readymade ties, “pants,” “vests,” and outre “fashions” generally.

Codpiece—a medieval ornamental article of apparel. Consult Rabelais, Boccaccio, et al.

Coffin cloth—see Casket c.

Coif—a close undercap—centuries out of date.

Coin case—a sort of purse for odd change.

Coin purse—a small p. for “loose change.”

Coin toe—one of many varieties of shoe toes, rounded, and according to width, known as half dollar t., dime t., etc.

Cokers—iron reinforcements for the sole and heels of the woodsoled clogs worn by European peasants; also known as “irons”.

Cold storage—recommended for furs; for processes, etc., consult scientific works.

Coldwater shrinking—a process of sponging or shrinking woolens by dipping them in cold water and then suspending them on rods or lines in the open air to dry; the London process; the opposite of steam shrunk (qv).

Colichemarde—a peculiar duelling sword of the period of Louis XIV.

Collar—in tailoring that part of a coat or waistcoat that is folded back around the neck. All collars are either straight (put on in a straight line) or horseshoe (hollowed and curved), the former being the better fitting but more difficult to make. As to shape collars are known as notched c., shawl c., ulster c., clerical c., Prussian c., military c., rolling c., etc., while as to material they are designated self c., velvet c., laid on velvet c., inlaid c., etc. All of which see

Collar—a detacht or attacht linen neckpiece. See Shirt c.

Collar-ascot—a neglige c. and cravat combined, but separable. (Proprietary term.)

Collar bag—a b. of cloth or leather, with a draw-string, for carrying collars when traveling.

Collar box—a container for collars, usually of leather.

Collar break—tailoring term for the creased line of a lapel.

Collar button—an indispensable instrument of iniquitous proclivities.

Collar city (the)—Troy, N. Y.

Collar insignia—(army) see Insignia of rank.

Collar spring—a steel s. device worn under coat collars for the purpose of keeping the coat front together without buttoning and for the further purposes of spoiling the coat and to display the wearer’s vulgarity.

Collar stand—tailoring term for that part of a coat c. where sewed to the coat proper and extending to the crease or turnover point; usually 1⅛ to 1¾ inches in height.

Collar velvet—a very fine and expensive grade of silk v. made especially for the tailoring trade.

Collarette—see Vestlet.

Collars-and-cuffs—nickname for the late Duke of Clarence, son of King Edward VII., arising from his penchant for extremely high collars and protrusive cuffs.

College cap—an adhesive diminutive c. of about the size of a small saucer.

College colors—flamboyance. See Appendix.

College hat—a flat topt soft felt h. of the telescope variety, usually with band in college colors, commonly worn with brim blazed up or banged down in front.

Collet—a shoulder cape or collar.

Collet—the neck or stem of a button.

Collet point—the sharp point or base of a brilliant cut diamond.

Cologne—see Eau de c.

Colonel’s uniform—(army) see Full dress, Dress u., White u., Service u.; (marine corps) Special full dress, Full dress, Mess dress, Undress, Field dress. Also variations.

Color—briefly, any hue, as distinguisht from white. See Encyclopedia.

Color doctor—in calico printing, a blade for wiping surplus ink from the engraved roll.

Color of the day—in ecclesiastical usage the vestments worn on certain days must be of certain colors, as: white, for the feasts of our Lord, of virgins who were not martyrs, and of confessors; red for feasts of Pentecost and of all martyrs; violet for advent and from Septuagesima until Easter; green for ferial or ordinary days; black on Good Friday and in services for the dead. Cloth of gold is supposed to take the place of white, red or green.

Color-test—general term for the various means of determining the purity or fastness of colors, which may be by means of exposure, washing, chemical processes, etc. See Acid t., Exposure t., and an encyclopedia.

Comb—a little rake of rubber, horn, celluloid or other substance used in dressing the hair.

Combination suit—undershirt and drawers constructed as one piece or garment; better known as union s.

Combing—the process of arranging the fibers of wool, mohair, silk, cotton, etc., into a parallel condition and of equal length, preparatory to spinning into smooth, even and regular yarn; the perfected application of the carding principle.

Combing wool—fleece intended for worsted yarn, the staple ranging from 4 to 10 inches long; generally classed as fine, medium, coarse and low. See Wool. Compare Carding w.

Come again—shopkeeper’s invitation to try it over again.

Come-back—a customer, not sold to the first time, who returns.

Come-to-Jesus-collar—irreverent term for a plain standing linen shirt c. of the lap front variety; a “choker”; a clergyman’s c.

Comforter—a long woolen scarf or muffler.

Comforter—a quilt or counterpane, especially one of cotton or wool filling between two sheets of cotton or silk, more or less fancifully stitched.

Comfortable—a sort of shawl worn in the first half of the last century.

Commander’s coat—(masonic) a double-breasted frock c. of black cloth, having two rows of 11 buttons each and a standing military collar and epaulets. Compare Sir Knights c. and Fatigue blouse.

Commander’s uniform—(navy) see Special full dress, Full dress, Dress, Service dress, Evening dress, Mess dress, Undress. See also variations.

Comme il faut—irreproachable.

Commercially all-wool—see All wool.

Commodore’s uniform—see Special full dress, Full dress, Dress, Service dress, Evening dress, Mess dress, Undress. See also variations.

Common—see Wool.

Commonsense—a name sometimes applied to designate a certain style of broad-toed footform shoe. See Orthopedic.

Competition—a good thing to take the conceit out of some merchants.

Composition cloth—a strong, heavy cotton duck or canvas, chemically waterproofed, used for trunk covers, bags, etc.

Compound spectacles—(1) s. having lenses made of two different foci or characters in one frame; (2) s. with supplementary (detachable) lenses of colored glass. Compare Bifocal s.

Concertina pocket—a bellows (patch) p.

Conchas—Silver ornaments attached to the spurs worn by cowboys and plainsmen on high days and holiday occasions.

Conditioning—a process in the manufacture of cotton yarns, restoring thereto, immediately after spinning, the natural moisture that was driven out. Originally the purpose was to add weight and deceive the purchaser, but experience, in comparison with yarns “hot off the reel”, has demonstrated that conditioned yarns are improved materially in strength, elasticity and appearance, with freedom from kinks and curls.

Conductors’ uniforms—see Railroad c. u. and Street railway c. u.

Coner—a workman who attends to a cone on which hat bodies are formed.

Coney—a species of rabbit, the fur of which is largely used in the manufacture of fur garments, and by hatters; properly the fur of the conepatus, a genus of badger-like skunks; loosely applied to all cheap furs, such as rabbit, cat, etc.

Confessional cape—a c. worn by Catholic priests in the confessional box; not much in present use.

Confirm—to ratify an order given—a practice that seems to be growing in usage.

Conformateur—a mechanical device for obtaining and recording or holding the shape of the head or of other parts of the body that hats or other articles of apparel may be conformed thereto.

Congress shoe—a s. without a buttoned or laced opening in the front of top, but with elastic gores in the sides.

Coning—in hat making the process of shaping the flat felt into cones.

Connaught—an overcoat of the same class as the present day Chesterfield, popular in England about 25 years ago.

Continental hat—the distinctiv h., so called, worn by the Continental Army of old, but which dates back to the time of William III. See Three cornered h.

Contract—(1) a binding legal agreement insisted upon by employes not confident of holding their jobs otherwise, and proffered by employers not confident of holding good men otherwise; (2) an agreement for merchandise or other services.

Contraptions—vulgarism applied to any new-fangled, peculiar thing or idea; e. g., an extravagant form of dress, a queer and unusual manner of speech, or anything else that is new and to which the public taste is not accustomed.

Cope—a long mantle of silk or brocade worn over the alb by priests or bishops on solemn or ceremonial occasions; also a state or choral vestment worn by laymen.

Copper toed—name given to the old-time schoolboy’s shoes with copper toe protection against scuffing.

Cops—the conical rolls of thread formed on the spindle of a spinning machine.

Cor de soie—a corded silk of the 18th century.

Cord stitch—a fancy s. of a chain-like nature.

Corded edge—in tailoring an edge finish obtained by laying a cord along the joint and fastening it thereto so as to present a hard-wearing e.; see piped e. Differing from corded welt in that the cord is not concealed but is on the outer edge or surface.

Corded goods—trade term for such goods as Bedford cord, whipcord, repps, ottoman, etc.

Corded pocket—same as jetted p. (qv), especially if the turned over piece encloses a cord.

Corded seam—a plain s. (qv) is first made, then instead of being presst open, the s. is turned to one side and stitcht thru again so that the face of the cloth shows a row of stitching, corresponding, usually, with the edge finish. The three thicknesses give a cord effect to the s., hence the name, altho it is also called “single-stitch s.” Also sewn with a cord or piping between so as to show same on the outside. See C. edge.

Corded wolf’s paw—see Wig.

Cordington—a heavy, close-felted variety of “niggerhead”. See also Petersham.

Cordonnet—inferior silk fibers used for manufacturing braids, binding, twist, etc.

Cordovan—horsehide shoe leather.

Corduroy—a heavy, pile-woven cotton fabric largely used for hunting garments, stable wear, laborer’s clothes, etc.; usually 27 inches wide. In weaving one or two sets of weft may be used (the latter for the better grades), the weft forming the pile which is thrown up in furrows of loops which are afterward cut and singed, and the cloth then dyed.

Cordwainer—a shoemaker.

Cork sole—shoemaking term for an intermediate s. of cork for warmth and protection against wet.

Corkscrew worsted—a twill woven suiting having a round, even twill, supposed to, but not suggesting the twists of a corkscrew, formed by the warp surrounding and imbedding the weft and appearing on both face and back of the fabric.

Corner pocket—same as top p.

Coronation cloth—a black-and-red variation of Queen’s mourning c., (qv) appearing just previous to the first time set for coronation of King Edward VII.

Coronet—an article of decorativ attire not popular in democratic America, tho in activ demand by heiresses of peddlers, packers, etc.

Corporal’s uniform—see Full dress, Dress u., White u., Service u., Fatigue u. Also variants.

Corpulent—trade term for a man whose waist and breast are more than normal measure; i. e., a man whose chest seems to have slipt down below his belt. See Stout.

Corselet—medieval armor.

Corset—contraption of cloth, steel and whalebone for giving shapeliness to a woman or effeminacy to a man.

Corset vest—a vest (waistcoat) cut snug and tight to compress the waist and strongly constructed to withstand the strain.

Cosmetique—same as Pomatum.

Cossacks—a peculiar shapeless sort of trousers reaching about to the ankle where they are drawn with a ribbon and tied, rather full below the waist where they are gathered by plaits to shape; popular in first half of 19th century. Also called Plaited trousers.

Cost-mark—the first thing, not comprehended in his duties, that the new employe takes an activ interest in learning.

Coster suit—general term for anything garish and cockneyfied.

Costume—(1) dress and the science and history of dress; (2) the garments one may be wearing.

Costume de rigueur—extreme formal or evening dress; prescribed ceremonious attire.

Costumer—one who furnishes garments of any particular period or fashion for theatrical use, masquerades, etc.

Costumer—a piece of furniture upon which clothes are hung at night.

Costumic—of or pertaining to costume (rare).

Cotta—a short surplice, with and without sleeves.

Cottes noir—“black coats”, the nickname of a corps of mercenary German troops of the early 17th century, whose appointments were black thruout.

Cotton—the soft, wooly fleece or down from the seed boll of the c.-plant. How interesting are the encyclopedias! Look it up.

Cotton-bale—a bundle of about 500 lbs., in dimension 54 × 27 × 27 inches.

Cotton bengaline—silk b. with cotton warp.

Cotton cheat—term used by righteous factors in denunciation of mercerized woolen and worsted fabrics.

Cotton classification—the New York commercial classification is (1) full grades: fair, middling fair, good middling, middling, low middling, good ordinary, ordinary; (2) half grades are designated by the prefix “strict”; (3) quarter grades by the prefix “barely”, meaning a point above half grade and the next full grade above, and “fully”, meaning a point between half grade and the next full grade below. Liverpool high grades are higher and low grades lower than those of New York. Classifications for length are short staple (under 25 mm.), medium (25 to 30 mm.), long (30 to 40 mm.), and extra (40 mm. or more).

Cotton gin—a machine for separating the seeds from the fiber of cotton.

Cotton test—if silk or wool suspected of containing cotton, light a specimen by match; if adulterated will burn until consumed; the more common test for wool is by boiling in caustic soda. See Breaking t., Burning t., Oil t., Sulfuric acid t., Thru-lighting t., Untwisting t., Acid t. There are also microscopic and other tests. See an encyclopedia.

Cotton velvet—velveteen.

Cotton warp—trade term for suitings and other cloths woven with a warp of cotton and with filling of woolen or worsted.

Cotton worsted—stout all-cotton or part-cotton worsted-wove suitings for men’s wear in imitation of honester goods, usually of hard, slippery feel and the despair of the workman who has to “chop” it with shears. See Cottonade; also Manipulated.

Cottonade—stout cotton cloth woven in imitation of woolen or worsted trouserings, produced of coarse yarns, the patterns executed in the loom; usually narrow width.

Cottonette—an elastic knitted cotton fabric employed for bathing suits.

Cotts—see Cotty wool.

Cotty wool—the poor fleece of sheep exposed to severe weather or inadequately fed; generally hard, brittle, matted and of little value.

Cotul—a moss grown on the rocks in several British isles: basis of the brown dye used in coloring Harris tweeds.

Count—in spinning, the number given to any thread or yard (except silk) to indicate its relativ fineness, based on the number of threads required to weigh one pound. See Spinning; also see an encyclopedia.

Counter—a peculiarly shaped piece of sole leather used for stiffening or supporting that part of the upper of a shoe immediately around the heel.

Counterhopper—a too familiar term for salesclerks in retail shops.

Counter jumper—same thing.

Counterpane—a coverlet or quilt.

Counting glass—a magnifying glass for counting threads, twills, etc., of a fixed focus with an aperture of definit dimensions to serve as a multiple.

Court coat—(1) a formal dress c. in European use; resembles c. in vogue in the days of the Georges; cut somewhat like a “cutaway”, with standing collar, deep pocket flaps, braided frogs instead of buttons, braided edges; (2) a house footman’s c.

Court dress—(England) velvet tailcoat with steel buttons, silk waistcoat, velvet knee breeches, black silk stockings, buckled low shoes and white gloves, a cockt hat carried under the arm and a small dress sword worn at the side.

Court livery—c. coat, silk or satin knee breeches, plush waistcoat, silk stockings, buckled low shoes.

Court plaster—silk or cotton gummed with an antiseptic or healing compound, useful after a scrap; originally worn by court ladies in the shape of beauty patches (and pimple hiders?).

Court tie—a low shoe with short vamp; a sort of pump.

Coutil—a closely woven cotton fabric with a fine herringbone twill, slightly resembling jean, used for corsets. (Included herein because some men wear ’em.) (Coutille).

Cover coat—a top c.; a covert c.

Covered button—general term for coat, waistcoat and overcoat buttons made on a wooden or metal mold and covered with silk braid, mohair, lasting, cloth, etc., which see under those names.

Coverlet—an outer covering for a bed; a quilt.

Covert cloth—a stout twill woven woolen coating, the warp of which is of two twisted yarns of differing colors with a single weft of the same color as the dark strand of warp, producing a pepper-and-salt or mixt effect in the piece, well fulled and sheared according as a smooth or twilled surface is to result. Low grade coverts are sometimes woven with a cotton-and-wool or all-cotton warp.

Covert coat—a short top c., properly of covert cloth.

Couverture pantaloons—a cloth or rubber lap robe for motoring wear, convertible into over trousers by means of bands, hooks and buttons.

Cow seal—trade term for leather made from cowhides stamped in imitation of seal leather but with a large, coarse grain. Compare Pin s.

Cow-tail—see Tail.

Cowboy boots—b. of fine stout calfskin, the legs of which are decorated with fancy lines and curves stitcht into the leather, and having heels at least 2 inches high curving inwardly with a very small bottom, not as a matter of vanity or daintiness, but as a check against the foot slipping thru the stirrup and as a brace against ground-slipping when roping an animal.

Cowhide—(1) thick, heavy boot leather; (2) sole leather; (3) rough boots of ditto and of pleasant memory of boyhood country days; (4) a heavy flexible tapering leather whip used by teamsters and sometimes of unpleasant youthful memory.

Cowes coat—see Dinner jacket.

Cowl—(1) a monk’s hood; (2) the garment of which it is a part.

Cowlick—(1) a tuft of hair turned up over the forehead, as if licked by a cow; (2) a tuft of hair sticking up out of the crown of the head that can’t be brushed down.

Coxcomb—a pretentious, conceited dandy.

Crabbing—a process in cloth weaving by which yarn is uniformly moistened and stretched. See Cockling.

Craiganputtach—a variety of Scotch tweed from the town of that name.

Crammer—mentioned by Capt. Gronow: probably a choking neck stock or high cravat.

Crank—a fool customer who knows better than the salesman what he wants.

Crape—see Crepe.

Crape-cloth—a fine quality, light-weight, stoutly woven worsted fabric, with a surface in imitation of silk crepe, much used for dress coats.

Crash—(1) coarse linen toweling or suiting; (2) a light-weight “homespun” woolen suiting woven in imitation of linen toweling.

Cravat—a necktie or scarf, particularly of the larger, hand-tied varieties.

Cravat pin—see Scarf p.

Cravatings—silk fabrics designed for neckdressings.

Cravenette—a process applied to yarns before weaving, rendering the cloths made therefrom repellent to water and moisture; sometimes applied also to the woven fabric with satisfactory results; a secret process owned by The Cravenette Company and B. Priestley & Co., of Bradford, England. Frequently, the word is most erroneously misused as a name for an overcoat, tho the word strictly refers only to the proofing process, and strictly represents, therefore, neither a garment nor a fabric.

Crease—a prest fold.

Crease—a large dagger used by the Malays. (Kris.)

Crease line—in tailoring (1) the line along which a coat collar is folded; (2) where a lapel or rever is turned; (3) a horizontal line in the center of trousers legs, front and back; (4) any other place where a crease may be necessary or fashionable.

Credit—the precious privilege of obtaining goods one day and of paying for them, if you can, some other day.

Credit clothier—term specially applied to retail tradesmen who sell clothes on the installment plan, exacting a larger profit for their “obliging” accommodation.

Creedmore—a sort of brogan or blucher shoe for farmers, railroaders, etc., made of extra heavy leather, double stitcht and reinforced by rivets, and having commonly an outside sole leather counter.

Creepers—a baggy sort of dress for children learning to move about; usually bifurcated.

Creole—a stout shoe similar to a Congress gaiter, but with tops and uppers cut in one piece and without caps.

Crepe—generic name for semi-transparent fabrics of silk, wool or cotton, or combinations thereof, having a weave effect characterized by a crinkly surface of minute irregular ridges or sometimes of small twisted knots or puckers, usually produced by making the weft or warp (or both) of hard twisted threads, each alternate group twisted reversely, which by loom spacing and tension, relax and untwist when the fabric is taken from the loom, resulting in the peculiarity described. Black silk c. is used almost entirely for mourning.

Crepe—a species of thrown silk. See Throwing.

Crepe cloth—see Crape c.

Crepe de Chine—a fine, soft, thin silk fabric slightly crinkled; used for neckwear, mufflers, etc.

Crepe de sante—a light-weight cotton or linen fabric, resembling momie in weave, used for undergarments, pajamas, etc.

Crepele—French word meaning crepe-effect.

Crib—a small bed; a berth or bunk.

Cricket—a small footstool.

Cricketing—general name for fine twilled flannel suitings (from popular British use).

Crispin—a shoemaker. See St. Crispin.

Crispin cloak—see Houppelande.

Croat—a cravat; such as was worn by the Croatians in the French army in 1636.

Crocheted tie—a slimsy thing on a level with colored shoe laces; usually a souvenir of a misguided sweetheart.

Crock—to blacken, or stain, or lose color, as a dye that is not fast.

Crocus finish—a superior glaze or polish given to knife blades, etc.

Crofter—a peasant worker in (British) woolen or linen mills; a linen bleacher; a worker at crude hand looms.

Crofting—the bleaching of linen or cotton fabrics on grass or bleaching grounds.

Croise—weaving term indicating that the warp threads cross each other on the back of the fabric, as velvet, broadcloth, etc., forming a sort of twill.

Crop—a short wooden riding or hunting whip with a leather loop instead of a lash at one end and usually a handle at the other.

Crop—a growth of hair or beard; a wig.

Cropping—technical term for nap-shearing.

Cross dyed—trade term for fabrics in which, in weaving, a skein-dyed decorativ thread of a dark color, usually black, is woven into the fabric in the gray, and the whole piece afterward dyed a lighter color, permitting the dark decoration to show thru. Also called resist dyed (qv).

Cross-gartered—see Malvolio in “Twelfth Night”.

Cross-legged—the manner in which journeymen tailors work, whence their inclination to parenthesis of the legs.

Cross pockets—regular p. (qv).

Cross stitches—threads crossing one another, either singly (in the middle) or doubly (in the ends), something like a snake fence; used for staying the edges of velvet on collars, but often used for ornament only.

Cross stripes—in weaving, s. running across the width instead of along the length; horizontally.

Crossbred—the best sheep for mutton tho producing coarse wool.

Crossbreed—wool classification term. See Wool.

Crotch—juncture of the two halves of a trouser.

Crotch piece—a triangular piece of goods sewed onto the inner legs of trousers at the crotch when cut from goods not wide enough to permit of unspliced chopping.

Crotch seam—the fork s. See Stride.

Crown—(1) the upper part of a hat, particularly the flat or table part thereof; (2) the top piece of a flat crowned cap.

Crown—a decorativ circlet or covering for the head, worn, carried or displayed as a mark of kingly or sovereign power; unknown in U. S.

Crown—the upper pyramid of a diamond. See Brilliant cutting.

Crown-piece—see Crown.

Crow’s-foot tack stitch—in tailoring, an ornamental tack for ends of pockets, vents or inverted plaits. The tack is first laid out in a triangle and the threads laid in from base to apex-sides, alternately from one side and then the other, until the threads meet at the base. This is the most common form; there are variations, not differing greatly in effect or method.

Crow’s-foot—a three-pointed embroidery stitch sometimes used in finishing pockets. See above.

Crow’s-toe—same as Crow’s-foot.

Cruiser—a waterproof moccasin boot with a sewed-on sole and a medium heel, both studded with small hob nails.

Crush hat—the collapsible opera h.

Crush opera—same as O. hat.

Crusher—a soft felt hat, not hurt if stuft into a bag; much loved of travelers.

Crutch—the crotch or fork; (properly crotch).

Crutch—a walking prop for cripples and invalids.

Ct.—abbreviation for carat.

Cue—see Queue.

Cuff box—a receptacle for cuffs; usually of leather.

Cuff button—wrist jewelry.

Cuff links—cuff buttons. See Links.

Cuffs—(1) ornamental finishing to coat sleeves; (2) separate or attacht bands as a finishing for shirt sleeves.

Cuirass—defensiv armor covering the entire upper part of the body.

Culet—see Collet point.

Cummerbund—a broad, soft sash.

Cup button—bowl shape.

Curl—a cute little kink.

Curled yarn—weft y. commonly composed of two or three threads of contrasting colors, characterized by loops or curls at intervals, variously effected.

Curling—a process in hat manufacture whereby brims are shaped to conform exactly to a model.

Curling iron—a machine that had better be left altogether to women, who have hair to burn.

Currier—one who curries or dresses leather.

Curtain—the waist lining of trousers.

Custom made—made in the mode; to order and to measure.

Custom tailor—one who makes clothes to order only. Compare Merchant t.

Customer—an individual highly prized by the proprietor and patronized by the salesperson; sometimes called an “Indian”.

Customer’s labels—in the readymade clothing trade (wholesale) a name given to woven silk labels, bearing retailer’s names, sewed into neck of coats.

Customs inspector’s uniform—coat, vest, trousers and cap of dark blue cloth, the coat 4-button double-breasted in winter with 2 lower pockets with flaps, 1 outside welted breast and 1 inside breast pocket; in summer to be 4 buttons, single-breasted, square cut. Inspectors of passenger’s baggage wear red cap instead of blue. Insignia indicating rank worn on front of cap. All coat and vest buttons of flat bone, to be covered with shells when on duty.

Cut—a coil of two hanks of yarn.

Cut goods—trade term for hosiery knitted on a round knitting machine, the tubular, unshaped product being cut into required lengths, then footed, shaped, etc., by cutting out and adding other pieces as needed; the cheapest process of manufacture.

Cut mark—a mark fixt on the warp during dressing or beaming, to indicate a certain length and serve as a point for separating two adjoining pieces of cloth when woven.

Cut-off cuff—a sewed on or special c.

Cut-off vamp—same as Short v.