This book is a collection of words and phrases for articles that can be made from cloth and thread. The words all have a textile origin, but have gone on to take wing and are used in common speech as metaphors, and in proverbs and rhymes in a figurative sense. It will appeal to lovers and students of the English language, and particularly to textile enthusiasts, crossword addicts, translators and linguists. It is the long-awaited sequel to Rigmaroles and Ragamuffins, published in 2007, which collected up words derived from the raw materials to the making of thread and cloth. Ruffians and Loose Women looks at things that can be made from textiles, from clothing to footwear, from beds and bedding to ships and sails. Many of these words have lost all textile connections, rather like the nouveau riche who concealed their humble origins and pretended to be nobly born.
Why would you put a tulip on your head? Who might be entitled to remove your zone? What would it mean to be accused of haberdashery? Get this fascinating book and find out.