Cap badges with Tams, or Balmorals without ribbons?

[QdBrown]

To my practiced eye, all of the gentlemen in the photo originally posted by JSFMJR (Sandy to his pals on XMTS) are wearing Balmoral bonnets-- some with dicing, some without, and all with their tails either tied up, or (possibly) cut off.

Correct me if I am wrong, but when the Balmoral per say is tied up (not the other bonnets), doesn't that suggest they are married? I remember reading that in one of those early 'How to wear and maintain a Kilt' books.

Which to be a bit funny, if they cut the ribbons off, maybe those particular gents decided not to take brides or wanted to remain playboys.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Correct me if I am wrong, but when the Balmoral per say is tied up (not the other bonnets), doesn't that suggest they are married? I remember reading that in one of those early 'How to wear and maintain a Kilt' books.

You've been the victim of another myth invented by those who don't know the facts.

Originally the ribbons were used to adjust the size of the bonnet. Now days they merely "snug it up". As has been pointed out before (by Jock Scot and others) the main reason for tying the ribbons in a bow (or cutting them off) is to prevent them from whipping around in the wind and hitting one (painfully) in the eye.