Some Fun with Antiquated Hat Terms - Part Four - 1900 - 1944

I have uncovered some obscure and unusual words while looking back at the history of hats and headdress. Having recently finished reading THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN (by Simon Winchester, HarperCollins 1998) about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, I thought it might be fun to explore the definitions and etymology of some of these ancient terms, most of which have all but disappeared from modern use. [Youll find parts one through three at ezinearticles.com and the HAT BLOG: Everything Hats.]

In the first parts of this project, I indicated that to qualify for inclusion in the list, the word must show up with a squiggly red line at Microsoft Words spell check tool. Now however, as these terms enter 20th Century usage, they are, of course, less obscure. For these last few entries, I have changed the requirements for making the list. Certainly, more readers will know the terms below than was the case in parts one through three. Here are the last few terms not seen everyday, but also not so lost to antiquity that spell check was stumped. I hope youve enjoyed this series.

Gainsborough Hat

2. A large broad-brimmed hat of the type worn by women in Gainsborough's portraits. In full, Gainsborough hat. 1878 Cassell's Fam. Mag. Aug. 569/2 The..wearers of the Gainsborough, Rembrandt, and beef-eater hats. 1884 [see CART-WHEEL n. 5]. 1904 Westm. Gaz. 12 Aug. 5/1 Extemporised Gainsboroughs. 1928 Amer. Speech IV. 92 One remembers the Gainsborough hat.

Merry widow Hat

2. a. In full Merry Widow hat. A kind of ornate wide-brimmed woman's hat, usually made of straw and trimmed with plumes. 1908 Daily Chron. 9 July 1/4 The women in the galleries took off their Merry Widow hats, and waved them frantically. 1909 Daily Chron. 21 Jan. 7/3 A huge Merry Widow of the approved Occidental pattern from China. 1956 C. H. B. KITCHIN Secret River i. 61 Mrs. Ashworth in a Merry Widow hat, in which she thought she had looked ravishing. 1986 G. O'HARA Encycl. Fashion 171 Merry Widow hats were fashionable for several years.

Overseas cap

II. Special uses.

3. overseas cap orig. U.S. Mil., a peakless fabric cap worn by U.S. servicemen when serving overseas; (in extended use) any army cap resembling this. overseas Chinese, a Chinese emigrant; (also) any person of Chinese ethnic origin living outside China. overseas experience, (a) experience of life and culture in an overseas country; (b) N.Z. (orig. humorous) [perh. influenced by colonial experience s.v. COLONIAL a. C.], an overseas working holiday, usually to Britain or Europe, undertaken by young New Zealanders and freq. considered as a virtually obligatory part of an informal education; abbreviated OE. [1918 Stars & Stripes 8 Feb. 4/5 The officers' Oversea cap will be the same model as that worn by the men, but the material will be that of the officers' uniform.] 1918 Marines Mag. July 33/1 A special cap, officially known as the *overseas cap, is now being worn by the soldiers and marines of the American Expeditionary Force. 1992 Philadelphia Inquirer Mag. 11 Oct. 35/1 When he got to the Pacific in 1942 most naval officers were wearing overseas caps or officer's caps.

Shingle

e. A style of cutting women's hair short, as in the bob, but with the back hair shingled (cf. SHINGLE v.1 2a). Also, hair cut in this way. 1924 Hairdressing Feb. (caption), Based on the shingle. 1927 F. E. BAILY Golden Vanity xvii. 265 Doris powdered her face, combed her dark shingle, lit a cigarette, and picked up her beef cubes. 1945 N. MITFORD Pursuit of Love xx. 172 She had a short canary-coloured shingle (windswept) and wore trousers. 1975 G. HOWELL In Vogue 13/1 The small pitted cloche brought in the bob, which became the shingle or the bingle of the twenties.

Cadogan

[Said to be from the name of the 1st Earl Cadogan (died 1726). See Littr, and N. & Q. 7th Ser. IV. 467, 492.]

A mode of knotting the hair behind the head. c1780 B'NESS D'OBERKIRCH Mem. (1852) II. ix, The duchess of Bourbon had introduced at the court of Montbliard..[the fashion] of cadogans, hitherto worn only by gentlemen.

Juliet cap

[Female personal name (F. Juliette, It. Giulietta), dim. of Julia.]

Juliet cap (see quot. 1957). 1909 Westm. Gaz. 9 Feb. 8/3 Their Juliet caps were composed of violets. 1930 Daily Tel. 7 Apr. 7/6 The Juliet cap idea is to be found in the little theatre hats worn abroad. 1957 M. B. PICKEN Fashion Dict. 49/2 Juliet cap, small, round cap of wide, open mesh, usually decorated with pearls or other jewels, similar to that worn on the stage by Shakespeare's Juliet. Worn chiefly for evening. 1973 Times 15 Nov. 6/3 The bridesmaid..wore a pinafore dress and a jewelled Juliet cap.

Babushka

[Russ., grandmother, f. baba (peasant) woman.]

A head covering folded diagonally and tied under the chin; a head-scarf. 1938 Chatelaine Feb. 33/2 The babushka is a peasant-sort of hood you wear over your pretty curls. 1948 F. BROWN Murder can be Fun (1951) vii. 106 She wore a greenish mottled babushka and..stringy hair..pushed out in front of it. 1959 Encounter Oct. 32/2 A voile scarf tied babushka-style.

Fred Belinsky
www.VillageHatShop.com

Fred Belinsky is the founder and president of The Village Hat Shop. The 4-store California chain is 27 years old. http://www.VillageHatShop.com, launched in early 1997, was the first online hat seller. Belinsky also runs http://www.Berets.com. Private label brands include Jaxon Hats, JaxonHats.com, and sur la tete, his line of women's hats. More of Belinsky's articles can be seen at the HAT BLOG: Everthing Hats. VillageHatShop.com also publishes THE COWBOY HAT, an ezine featuring short fiction, essays, and poetry about the American West and the Mexican-American Border.

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Honda Fit, 2007: The Weekly Driver

Just when it seemed like Honda couldn't possibly discover another market segment for its vehicles, it introduced the 2007 Fit. A four-door subcompact, the Fit combines a wondrously efficient use of space with snappy versatility and economy.

The Fit joins the Accord, Civic, CR-V, Element, Insight, Odyssey, Pilot, Ridgeline and S2000 as the 10th vehicle in the Honda line that debuted in the United States in 1973.

The Fit, known at the Jazz, has been sold in Asia since 2001 and in Europe since 2002 as a way to combat the parking dilemma prevalent in most international metropolitan cities. To further help curtail the problem, the two-seat Smart, the microcar DaimlerChrysler offering, has found increasing success overseas.

While not as small, The Fit, like the Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris, have arrived a year in advance of the Smart's expected 2008 U.S. arrival. And with the Fit, at least in my weekly test of the Sport model, there's no sense of driving a novelty.

Consider: While the Fit is nearly 20 inches shorter than the Civic, it has nearly the same interior space as the Accord. Of course, there are differences between the Fit and other Honda sedans. But as Honda's smallest vehicle, the Fit has a long list of standard features and unique offerings. It's particularly impressive considering that with every available option included the Fit costs less than $16,000.

In addition to the Sport model, the Fit is offered in a base model. Both styles include 1.5-liter, 16-valve, 109-horsepower, 4-cylinder engines. The base editions include 14-inch wheels, electric-assist power steering, two-speed front wipers and a rear wiper, air conditioning, power windows and locks and an AM/FM radio with CD player.

The Sport model features 15-inch alloy wheels with wider tires, additional body styling, keyless entry, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and an upgraded MP3-compatible audio system with an auxiliary jack.

The Fit's interior is efficiency defined. The five-speed manual shifter is nicely positioned and controls and dials are handsome, if simple, logically configured and offer nice ease-of-use characteristics. The Fit has two front seat cupholders and individual door-panel rear seat cupholders. The 60-40 split rear seat features multiple configurations, including one position which configures either side or both bottom seat sections flush against the seat back seats. The result: a cavernous cargo area. Honda calls the feature a "Magic Seat." The Fit also has a spacious trunk with a wide, level and easy access entry.

As a subcompact, there are a few shortcomings. The front-passenger visor does not have a mirror and there's a conspicuous absence of front-seat console storage compartment. The carpet, side-paneling and console material isn't as nice as the Accord or Civic, but it's far from cheap.

But the best part of the Fit is its surprisingly nice drive. With its 109-horsepower engine, the car isn't about to establish any speed records. Yet, since it's lightweight and efficiently constructed, the Fit moves around pretty nicely, with 0-60 mph in less than 10 seconds. Cornering and maneuvering is confident and at all speeds, the vehicle is far from noisy.

There's just not much to criticize about the Fit. Honda has a longstanding, stellar reputation throughout its line. And as the newcomer, the Fit fits in admirably with its brethren.

The Weekly Driver: 2007 Honda Fit

Safety Features Dual front, front side and side-curtain airbags.

Fuel Mileage (estimates) 33 mpg (city), 38 mpg (highway).

Warranty Bumper to bumper, 3 years/36,000 miles; Powertrain, 6 years/60,000 miles; Corrosion, 5 years/unlimited miles.

Base Price $15,170.00

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