herringbone
See also: herring-bone
English
[edit]
Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]herringbone (countable and uncountable, plural herringbones)
- (countable) A bone of a herring.
- 1884, Samuel Smiles, Men of Invention and Industry:
- The prosperity of Amsterdam was then so great that it was said that Amsterdam was "founded on herring-bones."
- A zigzag pattern, especially made by bricks, on a cloth, or by stitches in sewing.
- 1861, Charlotte Yonge, The Young Step-Mother:
- 'The best path of life is but a herring-bone pattern.'
- 1922 February, James Joyce, Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
- Mr Bloom walked behind the eyeless feet, a flatcut suit of herringbone tweed.
- 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 174:
- Though almost engulfed by Bedford, Elstow's claim to villagedom is still maintained by two fine rows of timber-framed, overhung, black-and-white cottages and the timber and herringbone-brick Swan pub.
- (countable, skiing) A method of climbing a hill by pointing the skis outward in a V-shape to keep from sliding backwards.
- Twilled fabric woven in rows of parallel sloping lines.
- 1963, Men's Wear, volume 147, page 39:
- For some strange and elusive reason, the staid, prosaic herringbones have angled themselves into a position of fashion prominence.
Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]bone of a herring
|
pattern
|
method of climbing on skis
|
fabric
|
Further reading
[edit]
herringbone on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Verb
[edit]herringbone (third-person singular simple present herringbones, present participle herringboning, simple past and past participle herringboned)
- To stitch in a herringbone pattern.
- (skiing) To climb a hill by pointing the skis outward in a V-shape to keep from sliding backwards.
Derived terms
[edit]- herringboned (adjective)