Re: "a Pair of Panties" ?????

In article <v603b4$1gl8d$1@dont-email.me>, vpaereru-
unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid says...

 
Le 01/07/2024 à 12:38, occam a écrit :

On 01/07/2024 07:56, Hibou wrote:

>
I observe that the kilt is singular - two legs, but only one hole.

 
While in Aberdeen, the question arose: "what's the difference between a
kilt and a skirt? What do Scottish women wear?"
 
The wittiest answer I got was that Scotsmen call it a 'kilt' to avoid
the embarrassment of having to admit that they are wearing a skirt.

 
That may well be true; certainly one encounters considerable resistance
among Scots, both men and women, if one calls a kilt a skirt. This, I
think, is just a matter of time and place. At other times and places, it
has been and is normal for men to wear skirts - Roman legionnaires did,
for instance.
 
According to the OED, the noun 'kilt' (~1746...) comes from the verb 'to
kilt' (~1340...), at first meaning to tuck (skirts etc.) up round the
body, and later also to gather in vertical pleats....
 
"I'll kilt my coats aboon my knee, And follow my love thro' the water" -
Burns, 1788.

  The kilt today has the pleats sewn in place. It's
usually made to measure.

 Historically it was the belted plaid, or great kilt
(feileadh mòr), one size fits all. A long unsewn length of
plaid loosely gathered up and held in place with a belt,
leaving the rest of the length loose to hang over one
shoulder and use as a cloak or head covering.

  Our postman Jamie always delivered the mail wearing the
great kilt... summer, winter, pouring rain. He told me the
cold exposure made his legs tougher and hairier, a better
look for his side-line in historic (Scottish) re-
enactments and film. He was an extra in Braveheart.

 
  Janet