What is the history behind or supporting:
toff or toffee-nosed twit
or twit for that matter,
or are they all interchangeable?
Is tufted, as in corduroy,
related to any of this?
I have not worn a corduroy coat
since university days,
fifty years ago,
but I’m sure I have one
to go with my corduroy shorts,
for either Alaska or Florida weather.
Is that spiffing or what?
I am sure there will be
an interesting side to this.
Ken
Gramma Linda:
September 3rd, 2021 at 2:02 am
Thank you for confirming my old memory of how the word “corduroy” originated. My grandson’s book called “Corduroy Goes to the Doctor” is lying here on my coffee table. It reminded me of when we used to go visit my Grandma in Tolleston, an old section of Gary, Indiana. They had brick streets there that made our car go bumpety-bumpety-bump. Why would anyone make a road out of logs, laid side by side, perpendicular to the direction of travel?!?! Now I know when, why and where! It was probably on the English Isles, in soft wet muddy places.
Leave a comment
Search us!
Search The Word Detective and our family of websites:
This is the easiest way to find a column on a particular word or phrase.
To search for a specific phrase, put it between quotation marks. (note: JavaScript must be turned on in your browser to view results.)
Ask a Question!
Puzzled by Posh?
Confounded by Cattycorner?
Baffled by Balderdash?
Flummoxed by Flabbergast?
Perplexed by Pandemonium?
Nonplussed by... Nonplussed?
Annoyed by Alliteration?
Ken in Alaska:
May 9th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
What is the history behind or supporting:
toff or toffee-nosed twit
or twit for that matter,
or are they all interchangeable?
Is tufted, as in corduroy,
related to any of this?
I have not worn a corduroy coat
since university days,
fifty years ago,
but I’m sure I have one
to go with my corduroy shorts,
for either Alaska or Florida weather.
Is that spiffing or what?
I am sure there will be
an interesting side to this.
Ken
Gramma Linda:
September 3rd, 2021 at 2:02 am
Thank you for confirming my old memory of how the word “corduroy” originated. My grandson’s book called “Corduroy Goes to the Doctor” is lying here on my coffee table. It reminded me of when we used to go visit my Grandma in Tolleston, an old section of Gary, Indiana. They had brick streets there that made our car go bumpety-bumpety-bump. Why would anyone make a road out of logs, laid side by side, perpendicular to the direction of travel?!?! Now I know when, why and where! It was probably on the English Isles, in soft wet muddy places.