Kilt, Skirt, MUG, etc.

[Freedomlover]

Since the dictionary definition of KILT is "A knee length pleated skirt (usually, but not necessairily, tartan) worn by men" I have no problem whatsoever if someone calls my kilt a skirt because it is a skirt.

[Southern Breeze]

Since the dictionary definition of KILT is "A knee length pleated skirt (usually, but not necessairily, tartan) worn by men" I have no problem whatsoever if someone calls my kilt a skirt because it is a skirt.

Okay,okay it's a skirt!!Now about the kilt Hose.....

[Iolaus]

Okay,okay it's a skirt!!Now about the kilt Hose.....

as long as there's no "panties" or garter belts involved!

[Southern Breeze]

as long as there's no "panties" or garter belts involved!

No pantyhose either!!

[Shay]

I'd say "a kind of skirt," I mean, I own a bedskirt and a tableskirt, too, skirt by itself is only descriptive of fabric that hangs in a circle, sorta.

My brain's a little mushy, but see what I mean?

Edit: found a dictionary definition:
Main Entry: 1skirt
Pronunciation: 'sk&rt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse skyrta shirt, kirtle -- more at SHIRT
1 a (1) : a free-hanging part of an outer garment or undergarment extending from the waist down (2) : a separate free-hanging outer garment or undergarment usually worn by women and girls covering some or all of the body from the waist down b : either of two usually leather flaps on a saddle covering the bars on which the stirrups are hung c : a cloth facing that hangs from the bottom edge or across the front of a piece of furniture d : the lower branches of a tree when near the ground
2 a : the rim, periphery, or environs of an area b plural : outlying parts (as of a town or city)
3 : a part or attachment serving as a rim, border, or edging
4 slang : a girl or woman

[jkdesq]

Kilt/skirt
shirt/blouse
trousers/slacks
underwear/panties
bro or manzier/bra (ok that's from Seinfeld)

Many articles of clothing have a "boys name" and a "girls name". Kilts are no more "skirts for men" than shirts are "blouses for men".

[Shay]

I see where you're coming from, but it would probably be more precise to say:
MUGs/skirts. Kilts aren't the male skirts, they're a male skirt. There's a couple other MUGs, too.

[Freedomlover]

Kilt/skirt
shirt/blouse
trousers/slacks
underwear/panties
bro or manzier/bra (ok that's from Seinfeld)

Many articles of clothing have a "boys name" and a "girls name". Kilts are no more "skirts for men" than shirts are "blouses for men".

A kilt is not a "skirt for men"? Then why does the dictionary definition say it is?

Re: shirt/blouse Both terms apply equally to male and female garments.

Re: trousers/slacks Both terms apply equally to male and female garments.

With the partial exception of underwear (briefs/boxers are worn by both sexes), I think that only gender specific articles of clothing can be safely assigned exclusively to one sex or the other. Example: jockstrap=male, brassier=female.

Not looking to stir anyone up. Just giving my opinion.

[jkdesq]

A kilt is not a "skirt for men"? Then why does the dictionary definition say it is?

My dictionary -- Oxford English Dictionary (the only English dictionary that really matters--well with the exception of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary) -- defines a "kilt" as a "skirtlike garment". There is a difference between being a "skirt" and being "skirtlike".

Also the OED defines "skirt" as meaning "a woman's outer garment haging from the waist". I see little room in this definition to include a man's kilt.

Men that wear blouses? Who knew. Looking the word "blouse" up in the OED, this suggestion is confirmed. According to the OED a blouse can be 1 "a woman's loose, usu. lighweight, upper garment, usu. buttoned and collared. b the upper part of a soldier's or airman's battledress. 2 a workman's or peasant's loose linen or cotton garment, usu. belted at the waist". It seems to me the uses of "blouse" to describe garments for men are very specific. I don't think I wear a blouse when I wear a suit and tie.

Perhaps I didn't make my point very well. I was trying to suggest that there are alot of things that are more or less the same, but are known by different names depending on cultural context. Lines are blurry. Where is the line that separates a boat from a ship? Is a wine glass a "cup"? The words we use derive their value from the shared meaning that individuals in a culture attribute to them. Language is a social construct. If you scratch to deeply at the nomenclature of things, the exercise becomes meaningless.

English has a vocabulary that arises from convention. We don't have a prescribed language like French and Italian speakers. It is the meaning understood by the typical English speaker that is most important. If someone says "skirt" to me, I think of a garment intended for women. If someone says "kilt" I think of a garment for men or women. There is no situation where I would hear the word "skirt" and think of a garment intended for a man.

The word "skirt" is extremely feminine and very closely associated with women. The OED gives one meaning of the word "skirt" as a slang term for "a woman regarded as an object of sexual desire". I don't think a word can get any more feminine than that. I think you should be more willing to call your briefs "panties" (when you wear them) than call your kilt a "skirt".

My vote is that we should discourage any use of the word "skirt" to describe a kilt.

[arrogcow]

Kilt/skirt
shirt/blouse
trousers/slacks
underwear/panties
bro or manzier/bra (ok that's from Seinfeld)

Many articles of clothing have a "boys name" and a "girls name". Kilts are no more "skirts for men" than shirts are "blouses for men".

The "shirt" of a military BDU is a blouse. that is what it is called.

Adam