wooly

[NewGuise]

I am usually quick with a comeback - too quick, at times. But today I was flumoxed by a kilt related comment.

I was at a meeting over the lunch hour today, close enough to the downtown core to allow me to run some errands there before heading home, on foot. I ended up walking some 30 blocks on this pleasantly cool (-8C/17F)and occasionally breezy day. Halfway home, I had just unzipped my leather jacket to keep from over-heating when I ran into a guy heading the other direction who stopped, grinned, and said, "I hope you're wearing something wooly."

I was wearing my Maple Leaf kilt, red Lewis hose, a red wool/cotton sweater, and a plaid wool scarf, as well as that leather jacket. That constitutes a lot of very obvious wool.

I just shrugged, indicated the kilt, and mumbled that "this is enough."

Was he just being facetious, do you think, or might he have been referring to underwear? Does anyone ever wear "wooly" underwear, with or without a kilt?

[Tartan Tess]

Maybe he was referring to the fact that not all kilts are made of wool anymore and he knew that would be the warmest for the weather. Some kilt's nowadays are hard to tell especially just walking near someone.

[RB51]

... "I hope you're wearing something wooly."...Was he just being facetious, do you think, or might he have been referring to underwear? Does anyone ever wear "wooly" underwear, with or without a kilt?

I would just take it that he was being friendly, and maybe didn't quite know what to say. Because it was a bit brisk out, maybe he thought a reference to keeping warm would be in order. As far as 'woolies' go, I have 100% wool Stanfield undershirt that I wear a lot when it's cold (although usually only when I'm out in the bush), and have done so occasionally when out kilted for our morning walk. I find it extremely warm, and don't often need much more than a light shirt over it to be toasty. Pair it up with a wool sweater and I'm usually too hot.

Laurie

[CDNSushi]

I would have taken that as an underwear comment. When it's cold I joke around with my friends in the same way. We say: "Hope you got yer woolies on." or "Better wear yer woolies." By "woolies" we generally mean long underwear, although that could be extended to mean any kind of WARM underwear (as RB51 pointed out with his wooly undershirt).

So when buddy met you on the street and saw you wearing a kilt, he was likely trying to be jovial (and friendly) and say, "I hope you're wearing something warm underneath that" in an indirect way.

How you choose to respond or take that remark on the other hand is your choice.

[Bigkahuna]

Long Woolen underwear use to be the thing to wear when the weather got chilly. Thermals and Fleece replaced it long ago.

[RB51]

Long Woolen underwear use to be the thing to wear when the weather got chilly. Thermals and Fleece replaced it long ago.

I guess I must be old-fashioned, because even though I have clothing layers made of fleece and other man-made products, if I really want to be warm I pull out the woolies. Even when wet it still insulates, and having spent cold nights wet on a mountain-side wearing polyprop I've regretted not packing something made of wool. Just an opinion of course, and the outdoor stores, with their multitude of options, attest to choices we all can make.

Laurie

[Highlander31]

My take on it would be he was referencing woolen underwear.

[GG]

My take on it would be he was referencing woolen underwear.

Reading the posts here, I just came to remember that we used to have a similar expression in Danish, "tid til de uldne" = time for the woollen (ones).

It was a metaphor for saying it was cold but referred to underwear.

I had quite forgotten it. It must be half a century since I last heard it. I'm sure he kindly referred to better wear underwear on a cold day like that.

Greg - already a 65 years old kilt wearing Dane

[CMcG]

I would also imagine that he was referring to wool underwear in an oblique statement related to the ever popular subject of what is worn under the kilt.

What is more interesting, perhaps, is NewGuise's difficulty in interpreting the speaker. We know that the comment was made with a grin but perhaps it was the tone of voice that was so difficult to place.

Last summer, I was kilted and strolling down the street with my lovely lady Bee after a local Celtic festival. An adolescent boy called out to me from amidst a group of his peers and said "nice kilt," which should, on paper, have been a compliment. The tone of his voice was somewaht inscrutable though I think I detected admiration, disdain, awe, and jealousy all wrapped into one!

Sometimes people just don't know what to make of a kilt but, by golly, they sure seem obliged to try

[CDNSushi]

Sometimes people just don't know what to make of a kilt but, by golly, they sure seem obliged to try

Yup. It's very cultural, though. Around here people don't know any more about what to make of a kilt than back home, but NO ONE, EVER in a million, zillion years would yell "Nice kilt!" in a sarcastic tone, (or any other tone) for that matter. Nevermind yell, even. No one would say a thing. The most you would ever get would be a brave soul walking up to you and asking questions about your attire.

The one (and only) time I ever got anything resembling a negative comment, was back home in Edmonton, walking across a parking lot at night while drunk bar patrons were leaving and some boor, from the safety of his car full of friends felt the need to roll down the window and yell, "Nice skirt, fag!" I just chuckled to myself and didn't even break stride or turn my head. I'm glad I helped that young man get that off his chest. Must've been quite a burden holding that in.