|
Plaid is a Scots language word meaning
blanket, usually referring to patterned
woollen
cloth;
it is unclear if the Gaelic word Plaide
came first. Sometimes, mostly in England,
this word is spelled Plad.
-
In British English, particularly
in Scotland, a plaid or a
plaid rug is a large thick woollen
twill
cloth, often
tartan,
used as a travel rug or as a blanket.
It may be laid on the ground as a tablecloth
for a picnic.
-
When the modern
kilt
is worn as a dress uniform, for example
by pipe band Drum majors, a plaid
is a pleated cloth in the same tartan
as the kilt, cast over the shoulder
and fastened at the front. A similar
plaid in checked cloth was formerly
worn by Scottish lowlands shepherds.
-
Historically the earlier form of
the
kilt
was the belted plaid, a double
width of thick woollen cloth worn pleated
and fastened around the waist by a belt,
with the upper half often cast over
the shoulder but sometimes hanging down
over the belt and gathered up at the
front or brought up over the head for
protection against weather. This was
worn over a leine (or shirt)
and formed a cheap all-weather outfit
that also served as a blanket or bedroll
for wild camping. It is mostly associated
with the Scottish highlands, but was
also used in poor lowland rural areas.
- In American English, plaid is cloth
made with alternating stripes and bands
of color woven into or dyed onto the
fabric. This makes blocks of color that
repeat vertically and horizontally in
a pattern of squares and lines.
-
Plaid
is the name of a British electronic
music duo, taking their name from the
threads of the fabric.
|
