Re: RARA-AVIS: A Fashion Question

William Denton (buff@vex.net)
Fri, 18 Sep 1998 23:40:15 -0400 (EDT) On Fri, 18 Sep 1998, Bill Hagen wrote:

: "brogues" are brogans, right? Heavy "farmer shoes,"
: lace-up-the-front work shoes?

What I call brogues are, I think, also known as wingtips. Lace-ups,
often with a thick sole, and with the little pinprick patterns in the
leather up around the toes. I have a pair and I'm going to wear them
to a wedding tomorrow (not mine).

Aha. My 10th edition Merriam Webster's College Edition says, "1: a
stout coarse shoe worn formerly in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands
2: a heavy shoe often with a hobnailed sole: BROGAN 3: a stout oxford
shoe with perforations and usu. a wing tip"

So, it looks like my shoe knowledge is a little lacking. However, I
must say I always thought Marlowe sounded pretty sharp in that scene,
and his shoes would be in sense 3.

Bill

-- 
William Denton | Toronto, Canada | http://www.vex.net/~buff/ | Caveat lector.
            "Let's keep the party polite."

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