Tartan tatties

[Phogfan86]

No, not tartan potatoes.

Has anyone -- particularly those of you on the European side of the pond -- ever heard the expression "tartan tatties?"

I'm going to wait and see what the responses are before I share my story.

[Jordan]

MY first thought was a tartan pattern tattie (potato for those who don't know) second thought was lucky tattie? If not that I'm lost

Jordan

[Big Mikey]

Tartan tatties=Gold Bros.??

[george7]

A cheap market for Pakistani made Scottish goods?

[Southern Breeze]

German Scottish Dance group?

[Nighthawk]

Boy, did I read that wrong! I read it with an I instead of an A...

[ChattanCat]

Long form of "Tartan Tat"?

[Southern Breeze]

Boy, did I read that wrong! I read it with an I instead of an A...

[Phogfan86]

By way of background, I discovered my Scottish heritage not quite two years ago. I’ve never been to Scotland, although a trip is in the works. All in all, I’m still a noob to many things Scottish.

I excitedly e-mailed a good friend of mine last week when I received my SWK Nightstalker and sent him the pic from the website so he could see what it looks like. He has been a tremendous help and a mentor to me when it comes to Highland dress. When he responded, he just asked if I’d ever heard the expression “tartan tattie.” The cryptic nature of his response aroused my suspicions. I sent back a “no.”

Long story short, he said the expression comes from Scotland where only relatively wealthy people own their own kilts. Most folks hire one, and typically those kilts are somewhat worn. The wealthy folks refer quite derisively to people who don’t have the means to buy their own as “tartan tatties” because the kilt looks somewhat worn and even cheap. He said that I might get some snarky comments and sideways looks from some folks if I wear a SWK next to their $1,200 hand-sewn tanks.

I told him I intend to wear my SWK for knocking around the house, trips to the store, maybe the area Highland games (as a spectator). I won’t be wearing it for Hogmanay or Robert Burns Teas and probably not St. Andrew Society meetings, even though we are pretty casual. Bottom line, I said, was that it was afforable and looks really sharp, and I like it.

He said he just wanted to warn me that there are kilt snobs out there.

[Phil]

Long story short, he said the expression comes from Scotland where only relatively wealthy people own their own kilts. Most folks hire one, and typically those kilts are somewhat worn. The wealthy folks refer quite derisively to people who don’t have the means to buy their own as “tartan tatties” because the kilt looks somewhat worn and even cheap. He said that I might get some snarky comments and sideways looks from some folks if I wear a SWK next to their $1,200 hand-sewn tanks.

Having lived here virtually all my life I have never heard the expression "tartan tatties". Certainly something a bit worn around the edges might be described as "a bit tatty" and a ragged or untidily dressed person might be referred to as a "tattie-bogle". The "tat" in "tartan tat" comes from the same source meaning cheap and nasty, poor quality. I think this is probably a fairly localised colloquialism referring to some unsuitably tartan clad individual. And no it isn't just the wealthy toffs who own kilts but they are the ones most likely to wear the same one passed down several enerations of their family. That's how they stay wealthy!