beggars' velvet

English

Etymology

(cotton-linen blend): So called because less expensive than velvet; compare poor man's.

Noun

beggars' velvet (uncountable)

1. (historical) A blend of cotton and linen, used for making suits etc.
2. (colloquial) Dust bunnies; fluff.
   • 2011, Chris Nickson, Broken Token:

     A scrawny man with long, matted hair shuffled forward. He had a pale face under a^[sic] unkempt beard, his coat torn, dark breeches baggy over his thin thighs. Mould was growing in the seams of his coat, and dust, like beggars' velvet, lay on the nap.