Part 20
=Ragged=—needing repairs.
=Raglan=—a loose overcoat, the sleeves of which continue over the shoulders up to the collar. Named after Lord Raglan, who devised a similar garment for the protection of his soldiers during the Crimean war, the idea being to increase their fighting capacity by the greater freedom of action afforded by the peculiar shoulder. The original coat also had sleeves with cuffs that could be turned down over the hands for warmth; gloves being quite unknown.
=Rah-rah=—a name given with little respect to the voyant affectations of college boys.
=Raider hat=—a sort of “rough rider” or sombrero h. (fr. Dr. Jameson’s “raiders”?)
=Railroad conductor’s uniform=—varies with different roads; most commonly a short cutaway frock coat and flapt hip pockets, outside breast pocket and brass buttons, vest and trousers to match, all of dark blue cloth; on some roads the conductors wear double-breasted sack coats, and on others, single-breasted; usually completed with a semi-military cap with insignia.
=Railroad seam=—tailoring term, same as Cord s. (qv), but stitcht on each side of the join. See R. stitching.
=Railroad stitching=—in tailoring, a style of edge and seam finishing, consisting of a double row of stitches near the edge or join and a third row at a much greater distance—usually ¹⁄₁₆, ¼ ½ welt; so-called from having originally been a characteristic of r. uniforms.
=Rain clothes=—(=navy=) as worn by all enlisted men, consist of hat, coat and trousers of black painted waterproof material, as same pattern as Cape Ann suits. Certain petty officers are allowed to wear a long coat of similar material and style in lieu of the trousers and short coat.
=Raincloak=—a waterproof cloak.
=Raincoat=—a mackintosh or waterproof overgarment. See Cravenette.
=Raincoat pocket=—properly, a vertical p. finisht with a welt or fitted (qv), with an opening thru the lining inside, so that the hands may have access to the trousers or body coat pockets without unbuttoning the raincoat; also made regular horizontal style, opening thru, with outside flaps over the top. See Slasht p.
=Raincoating=—general name for overcoatings made rainproof by any of various processes, as “Cravenette”, “Cielette”, etc.; generally fine, close woven, round twilled, bare finisht worsteds, usually plain or with a pepper-and-salt effect, and sometimes with a patterned-back.
=Rainstick=—slang for umbrella.
=Raised cuff=—a welted effect on a coat sleeve.
=Raised seam=—see Swell s. and Welt s.
=Rake=—in certain German settlements, a comb.
=Rake-off=—graft: know what that is?
=Ramie=—trade term for the fiber of a nettle-like plant growing in Eastern Asia, of great length, strength, fineness, whiteness and silky luster, used extensivly for underwear, cordage, draperies, etc. Also called rhea, Chinese grass, nettle fiber, cambric, etc.
=Ramillies hat=—a 1770 military h., the back flap of which turned up sharply, and was not only higher than the crown but higher than the two front flaps, the middle of the front brim being out a bit. See also Cockt h. and Kevenhuller.
=Ramillies wig=—a w. with a long, gradually diminishing plaited tail tied with a large bow at the top and a smaller one at bottom, the hair bushing out over the ears; first worn in 1706 after battle of Ramillies. Also called R. tail.
=Rand=—an irregular shaped slip of leather inserted into a (shoe) heel to fill the gap between sole and lifts. Formerly the term was applied to seams.
=Random yarn=—weaving term for weft yarns wound around with shorter threads of contrasting color.
=Rapier=—a light, long, narrow sword with a sharp point, adapted for thrusting rather than cutting; a fencing sword; a dress sword.
=Rappee=—coarse-grained, dark, strong flavored snuff.
=Ratine=—an overcoating cloth similar to chinchilla but of finer curl.
=Rating badge=—(=navy=) specifically a spread eagle above a specialty mark and a class chevron, differentiated by regulation, worn by all petty officers of the starboard watch on the right sleeve and of the port watch on the left sleeve.
=Ratteen=—a general name of 17th and 18th centuries for coarse woolen cloths. Lighter fabrics were frequently called ratinets.
=Rattinet=—see Ratteen.
=Rattle=—a toy that some grown-ups seem still to need.
=Raveling=—a thread frayed from a fabric.
=Raw-edge=—a finish used principally on overcoats of heavy cloths like meltons and kerseys, the edges not being turned in, but sewed thru and thru, then evenly pared or trimmed with knife or shears.
=Raw-edge pocket=—a p. finisht to match the raw edges of garments so made.
=Raw seam=—(tailoring) the two parts are placed facing one way and overlapping the required distance and stitcht to correspond with the stitching of the edge. See R. edges.
=Raw silk=—s. as first reeled into skeins and hanks.
=Rawhide=—(1) untanned drest leather; (2) a whip made of raw cowhide.
=Raye=—French textil term for patterns of delicate stripes or narrow lines.
=Razor=—consult the colored gentleman who tidies up the office.
=Razor strop=—a flexible strap of leather or leather and canvas for stropping or sharpening razors and for walloping unruly sons.
=R. D.=—tailor’s term applied to a man who has been imperfectly trained. See Right dress.
=Readymade=—broadly, any garment or article of apparel ready-to-wear or use; more particularly applied to clothing, as distinguisht from tailoring to order.
=Readymader=—a word coined by the writer of this book, to describe a maker of or dealer in readymade clothing, and used by him in advertising and pickt up by others, of course.
=Rear admiral’s uniform=—see Special full dress, Full dress, Dress, Service dress, Evening dress, Mess dress, Undress. Also see variants.
=Rear pockets=—hip p.; skirt p.
=Rebate=—a deduction, drawback, or discount; for expert definitions consult any railroad, oil company or trust.
=Rebato=—a falling band or collar turned over upon the shoulders.
=Receipt=—the most complacent part of a charge account.
=Recherche=—quite correct and elegant.
=Red gold=—g. alloyed with copper. Compare Green g. and White g.
=Red-herrings=—red side whiskers.
=Red tan=—bark tanned. See Tan.
=Redingote=—a double-breasted outside coat with long, plain skirts; a French corruption of the English riding coat.
=Reefer=—(1) a short, heavy overcoat or jacket usually of chinchilla, frieze or other heavy cloth, and double-breasted, commonly worn by seamen, cattlemen and others exposed to the weather; (2) a boys’ coat of similar style.
=Reefer=—a muffler.
=Reel silk=—technical term for long silk fibers of all classes.
=Reference sample=—a small swatch of goods for reference purposes, usually about 3 × 5 inches.
=Refine cloth=—an extra fine dress c. with a nap resembling broadcloth; used principally for livery; also called Dress refines.
=Refinish=—see below.
=Refinishing=—the process of steaming, ironing, etc., for restoring the characteristic mill gloss or finish to woolens, worsteds, etc., after shrinking or sponging.
=Refund=—to (take back goods sold and) give back the money paid.
=Regalia=—the distinctiv parts of attire, decorations and symbols of a society or order.
=Regimentals=—loosely, all articles of military apparel; properly, corps or mess uniforms.
=Regular=—trade term for readymade garments designed to fit persons of normal build; standard sizes, from which longs, stouts, slims, etc., are variations.
=Regular cuffs=—see Round c.
=Regular made=—see Full r.
=Regular pocket=—a horizontal p. such as you will probably find in your sack coat if it is not a freak garment.
=Regular seam=—see Plain s.
=Regular twist=—yarns twisted to the right. (Woolen trade.) See Reverse t.
=Regulations=—rules of dress prescribed by army, navy and other bureaus.
=Re-heel=—to put new soles onto footwear, as shoes, hosiery, etc.
=Re-sole=—to put new soles on shoes, boots, etc.; also stockings.
=Reindeer=—(1) a fur, more or less authentic, used in glove making; (2) leather ditto.
=Reinforced=—strengthened by extra layers, strips, welts, gussets or other device of cloth or other material for purposes of strength, wear, etc.
=Rejects=—trade term for goods rejected for imperfections or for not coming up to standard.
=Remnant=—any odd length or quantity remaining unsold.
=Rentering=—tailor’s term for the process of hiding a seam, the stitches themselves being hidden. A plain seam is first sewn to give strength; this is first stretcht open until the sewing is exposed, when a stitch close to the seam is taken, catching but a trifle of the material on one part and a similar part on the other side of the seam, the needle coming out close to the part where it last went in. The seam is next prest out and while the steam is still in the cloth, the nap along it is prickt with a needle point and the nap finally brusht into place.
=Repairing=—mending, of course.
=Repellent=—a sort of waterproof cloth of wool, wool-and-cotton or all-cotton.
=Reserve stock=—merchandise carried in stock-room or warehouse awaiting transferrence to the selling department. Compare Forward s.
=Resist dyeing=—a process in textil production based on the antipathy of tannic acid to many common dyestuffs; consisting, briefly, in dyeing (cotton, silk, worsted and woolen) yarn in the desired colors and then saturating them in a bath of tannic acid and antimony with an after treatment of tin crystals; the prepared yarns are then woven, according to pattern to be produced, in with regular or “gray” yarn, the resulting fabric being then dyed in the piece, emerging with the prepared yarns showing up in their original colors, in contrast to the “piece dyed” yarn. Compare Batik, Discharge printing, Extracted, Tied-and-dried, Cross dyed, etc.
=Retired officer’s uniform=—(=army=) generally, that of his rank when in service, but without certain insignia; they may, at their option, wear the pattern of u. which was prescribed at the time of their retirement, but cannot combine the earlier with the later; (=navy=) not required to have any other than service dress, if ordered to duty.
=Retting=—rotting; a process of separating the woody core from the flax fibers preparatory to the operations of spinning, etc; the three principal methods being (1) dew retting, (2) pool retting and (3) retting in running water.
=Returnable=—privilege allowed customers of bringing back purchases for exchange or refund.
=Revamp=—to furnish a shoe (boot, etc.), with a new vamp or upper; to mend; to patch up.
=Revenue cutter service cap=—for officers, of dark blue cloth, having a flat top one-fourth to one-half wider than the base, the sides 2½ to 3 inches high, with a band of lustrous black mohair, and a visor of black patent leather except for captains, whose caps shall have visors of cloth decorated with gold soutache, oak leaves and acorns; service buttons, insignia, etc., per regulations. White caps of same pattern as blue c. Similar caps for cadets and enlisted men.
=Revenue cutter service overcoat=—for officers, a double-breasted ulster of smooth dark blue cloth, reaching to 9 to 12 inches from the ground, and with deep rolling collar, two rows of 7 plain black buttons on each breast spaced equidistant from knee to throat, belt of same material, and hood of same material for night wear or foul weather; marks, insignia and ornamentation as prescribed. For enlisted men, a similar coat, but reaching only to the knee. For cadets a coat similar to that for officers.
=Revenue cutter service uniforms=—see Dress, Full dress, Service dress, Social full dress, et var.
=Rever=—a turned back lapel or cuff.
=Reverse twist=—yarns twisted to the left. (Woolen trade.) See Regular t.
=Reversible vest=—a waistcoat (vest) made of two fabrics, usually one dark and one light or one quiet and one fancy, either side of which could be worn exposed to suit the occasion; worn to a limited extent in the last ten years of the last century and recently resurrected. See Vestwo.
=Revolver=—slang terms are numerous: five-shooter and six-shooter, meat in the pot, blue lightning, peace-maker, Mr. Speaker, black-eyed Susan, pill box, my unconverted friend, barker, persuader, etc.
=Rhadame=—see Satin r.
=Rhea=—see Ramie.
=Rheumatism ring=—a r. of magnetic iron, or of zinc and copper, supposed to be a fetich against aches and pains.
=Rhingraves=—breeches worn by French courtiers some centuries ago, made wholly by loops of ribbon.
=Rib=—a ridge or cord formed in the groundwork of a fabric, emphasized on the face.
=Riband=—old spelling of ribbon.
=Ribbed=—woven, knitted or markt with ribs, cords or ridges, either structurally or in finishing.
=Ribbed Norfolk=—name given to a N. jacket (1908) having a continuous set of plaits around the body from yoke to waist, the yoke or upper part and skirt or down part being plain. See also “Stroke coat”.
=Ribbon=—a narrow band or selvaged strip of silk or velvet. Imagine men nowadays wearing ribbons in quantity—yet they did centuries ago!
=Ribbon chopper=—fresh term for a salesman in the r. department of a retail store.
=Ride=—when your tie crawls over your shirt collar, that’s it.
=Riding breeches=—baggy b. with re-enforced seat, and with cuffs below the knees reaching often below the calf.
=Riding cloths=—general term for fabrics used for r. breeches, cavalry uniforms, etc., as covert, whipcord, khaki, olive-drab worsted, serge, etc.
=Riding coat=—a single-breasted frock c. with short, full skirts.
=Riding cuffs=—leather c. buckling closely around the wrists or over the coat sleeves; often much ornamented; worn chiefly by plainsmen on horseback.
=Riding trousers=—plain t., with but little leg shape, strapped beneath the shoe, and with re-enforced seat.
=Riding whip=—a crop.
=Rigby cloth=—a sort of waterproof c., chemically treated by the “Rigby” process.
=Right dress=—the wrong way. See Dress.
=Right twill=—weaving term indicating that the direction of the rib (as of serge, cheviot, etc.) leads from the bottom (goods held lengthwise) upwardly to the right. See Left t.
=Rimless spectacles=—same as frameless s.
=Ring=—finger frivolity.
=Rip=—a tear.
=Rip=—a pannier or basket for carrying fish.
=Rip pocket=—term occasionally used for jetted p. (qv).
=Rippling=—the process of removing the seeds from flax, preparatory to the spinning processes.
=Rise=—tailor’s term, meaning, from fork (of trousers) to waistline.
=River shoe=—see Lumbermen’s s.
=Roacht=—curved upwardly. (=Roached.=)
=Roanoke=—a sort of wampum of West Indian shells; currency of early colonial days.
=Roast beef dress=—English naval slang for full uniform.
=Robe=—a drest Buffalo skin.
=Robe de Calvin=—the Geneva gown (qv).
=Robe de chambre=—a dressing gown or informal morning costume for sybarites.
=Robe de nuit=—plain night gown.
=Robe maker=—a m. of official and ceremonial robes and accessories.
=Rochet=—a close-fitting vestment of linen, somewhat like a short alb or a surplice with tight sleeves; worn by bishops, abbots and certain privileged canons.
=Rocking last=—trade term for shoes built with soles curved or turning up from the ground. See Flat l.
=Roll collar=—a long c. without peak or notch; a shawl c.
=Rolled gold=—technically, a compound plate having a gold face and a back, or an interior filling, of baser metal; largely used for cheap jewelry. Compare G. filled, G. plated, etc.
=Roller towel=—toweling sewed together at the ends and hung upon a roller, usually found in offices and shops.
=Rolling collar=—(1) soft, not stiffened by haircloth; (2) shawl c.; (3) a Prussian c.
=Roman gold=—satin finisht. See Etruscan g.
=Roman stripes=—trade term for plain, flat, transverse stripes of varying widths and bright contrasting colors, occasionally popular in neckwear silks.
=Rompers=—general term for one-piece overgarments worn by very young children at play for protection of their better clothes.
=Rondache=—a round, Highland defensiv target or shield (obsolete).
=Roof=—a hat.
=Roof test=—see Exposure t.
=Room=—trade term used by clothing manufacturers, denoting an allowance or addition to size, particularly across the chest and blades, over regular patterns, when making up cheap, insubstantial fabrics, such allowance being made to offset strain and give seemingly better wear to the garment.
=Rope-stitch=—in tailoring a heavier s. than usual,—stouter silk being used, the stitches longer and not so tightly drawn; employed mostly on fancy waistcoats.
=Roquelaure=—“a short abridgment or compendium of a cloak, which is dedicated to the Duke of Roquelaure”. A cloak without hood.
=Rosary=—a string of beads, for counting a series of prayers, used by Roman Catholics, Mahommedans, Buddhists, etc.
=Rose cutting=—term for small diamonds (see Chip) having a flat base with a hemispherical or low pyramidal upper surface covered with small and generally irregular facets.
=Rose diamond=—a splinter. See above.
=Roseberry cloth=—a light-weight, closely woven, mercerized, waterproof, lustrous cotton fabric, having a fine round cord weftwise of the goods, resembling fine repps, employed for summer automobile garments, raincoats, hunting and fishing capes, etc. A similar cloth, rather heavier, is known as burberry cloth.
=Rostrum=—facetious for tailor’s block.
=Rotten Row=—a drive in Hyde Park, London: a resort of the fashionable; from le route de roi (the rout of the king).
=Rotting=—see Retting.
=Rough-and-ready=—(1) hat trade term for coarse straws; (2) any garment or article of unusually stout and durable construction and quality; (3) a favorit plug “chewing”.
=Rough leather=—simple undrest l., as that for shoe soles.
=Rough rider=—(1) name freely applied to any article of apparel possessing a rough-and-ready military appearance; (2) name of a famous regiment in the Spanish-American war.
=Rough rounding=—the (machine) process of trimming off and accurately shaping the sole of a shoe.
=Round cuffs=—detachable shirt c. that button over onto their opposit ends, now being rapidly superseded by link c. (qv).
=Round hat=—(1) the plain h. worn during Cromwell’s dictatorship; also called Puritan h.; (2) any modern h. resembling or of similar plainness.
=Round seam=—(glove term) the two edges are placed together and sewed over and over; used only with thin, tough, elastic leathers; also called over-s. and cable s.
=Round shouldered=—the back rounded or the shoulders stooping.
=Roundabout=—a short, single-breasted cutaway sack coat or jacket reaching to the waist, worn by boys and young men in the 40’s; later by sailors, mechanics, etc.
=Rounding=—in hat making, the cutting of brims to the desired pattern.
=Rounding gauge=—a g. for cutting hat brims.
=Rounding jack=—a stand or block on which a hat is held while being trimmed round.
=Roundsman’s uniform=—see Police u.
=Rove=—a slightly twisted sliver of silk, wool, cotton or other fiber; a slub.
=Rove=—to join and elongate the slivers of wool, silk or fiber in carding; to draw into thread; to ravel.
=Roving=—the operation of giving the first twist to thread by machinery. See Drawing.
=Roving frame=—a slubbing machine.
=Roving machine=—a machine for winding rovings onto bobbins.
=Rowel=—the wheel of a spur (qv).
=Rowing shirt=—a low-necked s. with very large, deep armholes.
=Royal bird=—see Wig.
=Royale=—a style of chin whisker, same as Imperial (qv).
=Rub stick=—a shoemaker’s tool for finishing the bottoms of soles.
=Rubber apron=—a sort of apron worn by icemen, carriage washers, dairymen, etc.
=Rubber cloth=—(1) usually cotton sheeting or drilling with a coating of rubber on one side; used for mackintoshes and sometimes for interlining ulsters; (2) a heavy cotton fabric coated on one side with a composition of rubber, usually stampt in imitation of various leathers and employed in cheap hand luggage, carriage tops, etc.
=Rubber heels=—lifts attacht to shoe heels for ease in walking; also called sneakers.
=Rubber tissue=—a thin, gummy substance used to save cost of sewing; it unites cloth on being heated and is most used for trousers hems.
=Rubbering=—the man who is looking thru this book for something shocking that isn’t here.
=Rubberized=—trade term for waterproof fabrics having one side of silk or other textil fabric and the other of rubber; also for double-faced fabrics with a center of rubber.
=Rubbers=—see Overshoes.
=Rubbing gloves=—see Bath mittens—quite similar.
=Rubbing strap=—a long, narrow band of knitted wool, terry toweling, etc., for use in the bath—it reaches the back. Also called Bath s.
=Ruck sack=—a form of pack used by mountain climbers in the Alps and elsewhere.
=Rucked=—wrinkled, crumpled. (=Ruckt= preferable.)
=Ruff=—a plaited, crimpt or fluted collar or frill, especially a very broad, full and stiffly starcht one.
=Ruffles=—we wore them once on shirt-fronts, at our wrists, and elsewhere—and we might do worse today.
=Rug=—a heavy shawl carried by travelers as protection against cold.
=Rugby toe=—one of the numerous shoemaking terms for a medium narrow t.
=Rumchunder=—an India silk stuff.
=Rummage sale=—a bargain sale of truck and odds and ends.
=Rumple=—to wrinkle or muss.
=Run=—a slipt thread or threads in underwear, hosiery, gloves or other article of similar fabric, resulting in a progressiv widening and lengthening of the damage or “run”.
=Runner=—a name applied to a certain kind of calf upper leathers, a runner being a grown-up calf or heifer; the term calfskin being applied to a skin that would not measure over fourteen square feet—while a runner might measure three or four feet more.
=Running pants=—shapeless, light cotton things not reaching to the knees.
=Running shoes=—low, soft leather s. with light turned sole, with or without cleats.
=Running stitch=—a tailoring s. made in a straight line, one in front of another, of various lengths and distances apart, but averaging about ¼ inch each in length; used mostly for basting sleeve linings for try-on.
=Rush order=—to be gotten out ahead of the usual course.
=Russet=—coarse, peasant-loomed cloth used in homemade garments, originally of reddish brown color, tho name clings to variations.
=Russia leather=—a fine quality of calf l. tanned in willow bark, dyed in cochineal and sandalwood, finisht with stannic chlorid and drest with birch-bark oil, having a brownish red color, a fragrant odor and the properties of resisting insects, moisture, etc.
=Russian braid=—soutache (qv).
=Russian collar=—a variety of Prussian c. (qv) applied to ulsters, etc.—standing higher, turned down, and meeting in front; also called Cadet c.
=Russian duck=—a fine quality of white linen canvas, used for hot-weather garments.
=Russian marmot=—a fur used mostly for coat linings.
=Russian overcoat=—same as cadet o.
=Russian sable=—an animal of the weazel family, living in the extreme north of Russia, highly prized for its rich brown fur. See Sable.
=Russian turban=—a cap with a high round crown and a double band forming the sides.
=Russian vest=—a double-breasted waistcoat, buttoning close up to the neck, worn in cold weather.
=Rusty=—said of black which is faded or shows signs of fading.
=Ryder=—cant for cloak.
S
=Saber=—a heavy sword with one cutting edge and a thick back.