hightum

English

Noun

hightum (uncountable)

1. (obsolete, slang) The most formal level of attire
   • 1876, “Hightum, Tightum, and Scrub!”, in The Leisure Hour‎^[1]:

     One was of superfine material; in this she appeared among her "quality friends," and it went by the name of "Hightum."

   • 1920, E. F. Benson, Queen Lucia‎^[2]:

     For one of Lucia's quaint ideas was to divide dresses into three classes, "Hightum," "Tightum" and "Scrub." "Hightum" was your very best dress […]

Synonyms

• full dress
• (for men) white tie

Coordinate terms

• tightum
• scrub