steinkirk

English

Alternative forms

• steenkirk

Etymology

So called from the Battle of Steinkirk in 1692, when the French nobles apparently had no time to arrange their lace neckcloth.

Noun

steinkirk (plural steinkirks)

1. A kind of neckcloth originating in France, worn in a loose and disorderly fashion.

   Synonym: steinkirk cravat

   • 1898, John Bloundelle-Burton, The King of Spain's Will:

     Then, also, I noticed that at her neck, just above the collar of her dress, there peeped out a piece of lace of the finest quality, lace as good as that of my steinkirk or the ruffles of a dandy's frills.

References

• “steinkirk”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.