It isn’t a skirt it is a kilt

[Friday]

I live is a small town in south central Pennsylvania about a hour south southwest of Gettysburg. I know that there are a number of kilt wearers in the area, but, I am more likely to meet a hiker from the Application Trail then one of the local kilt wearers. Imagine my surprise when I started in to one of the local restaurants and find a man in a kilt. He was facing away and as I came close to him I said in my normal irreverent manner “I love a man in a skirt.” He whirled around and said “it’s a kilt not a skirt.” In another thread it was said a number of times that when someone apologized for calling a kilt a skirt "no offense was taken."

To me “It is not a skirt it is a kilt” is the same as saying “it is not a dog it is a Border Collie.” Not all dogs are Border Collies, but, isn't a Border Collie still a dog? Dictionary.com defines a skirt as “a one-piece garment extending downward from the waist and not joined between the legs” sounds like a kilt to me. A kilt is one form of skirt. The best looking form of skirt but still a one-piece garment extending downward from the waist and not joined at the waist. It would seem to me that not all skirts are kilts, but, all small kilts are skirts.

When I have heard the comment “great looking skirt” I say back in pride "it is a nice kilt isn’t it", since, it is the subclass of skirt called a kilt. To be offended by this statement would be the same as a German Shepherd being insulted by being called a dog. If anything I just assume that the person is having a “brain gas" and couldn’t think of the proper subclass of skirt.

In honesty Dictionary.com does go on to say “worn especially by women and girls.” I have little doubt that there are more women’s and girl’s skirts in Scotland than there are men’s kilts, so this is also true.

If we are men enough to wear a kilt in public shouldn’t we be men enough to admit that is a kilt is:

Class -> Clothing
Order -> Skirt
Family -> Kilt
Genus -> Clan or fashion
Species -> Pleat style

[LitTrog]

While I've never been directly insulted for my kilt-wearing, I've prepared myself for the eventuality that someone will call it a skirt. My response will follow your reasoning in some form. It is, technically, a skirt, so why deny it? Embrace the kilt and educate the twits with fervor and great big balls.

It is not a dress, however. That is just silly.

[pugcasso]

let's not 'skirt' around the issue... a kilt is a type of skirt ;-)


the problem of a certain word and associations in typical language is at hand.... the word 'skirt' should not imply a woman's clothing automatically (but the habit of language by many users ad misuser leans that way) ... theoretically the word should be neutral and mean "go around"

it all comes down to biased language assumptions attached to words (two of my favourite people who often pointed out many odd assumptions about language were Alan Watts and George Carlin).

[Kvasinka]

I´ve found very nice T-shirt in Edinburgh, Scotland. It says "This is a kilt, if I wore underpants, it would be a skirt." That is usually my answer to skirt vs. kilt question, but always meant as joke, offcourse I agree that kilt is kind of skirt.

[RogerWS76]

My standard answer is "Reel men were weerin kilts loooonngg before the lassies eeever THOT aboot weeerin a skirt!!!"

[Bill aka Mole]

Depending on the situation, even I will refer to the kilt as a "Mans skirt." It tends to allow others the ability to both save face and have a laugh when one is needed, especially when the error was accidental. Not that I am so sensitive to the needs of others that I haven't used the "panties" line when it was deserved.

[Chas]

Dictionary.com obviously leaves a lot to be desired. "a one-piece garment" - I would hazard a guess that the vast overwhelming majority of skirts are not and never were one-piece. Does a patchwork quilt become a one-piece because it is all stitched together? I think not.

Regards

Chas

[brewerpaul]

I was at my local health food/organic store and had three ladies in front of me turn to say how much they liked my kilt. One asked my clan and I told her it was Black Watch tartan, the other just smiled. The third said she has always liked men in skirts to which we all replied it was a kilt. At these times when I know it was not said in jest or offense I usually quip back with "Ive never been able to wear a skirt because I can never find red or black pumps in size 14. Besides they are too hard to walk in." This got them all laughing and me a couple of lingering looks as I left the store.

[Friday]

I´ve found very nice T-shirt in Edinburgh, Scotland. It says "This is a kilt, if I wore underpants, it would be a skirt." That is usually my answer to skirt vs. kilt question, but always meant as joke, offcourse I agree that kilt is kind of skirt.

So if I do a "skirt check" and find no underpants it is a kilt? I am so confused.

[Friday]

Dictionary.com obviously leaves a lot to be desired. "a one-piece garment" - I would hazard a guess that the vast overwhelming majority of skirts are not and never were one-piece. Does a patchwork quilt become a one-piece because it is all stitched together? I think not.

Strange when I put my Great-Grandmothers patch work kilt on the top of my bed and shake it out it acts like one piece of cloth. Also how would you classify a kilt made of two pieces of cloth and joined inside a pleat. I my old and addled mind when you sew two pieces of cloth together they become one piece. But then I have been wrong before and my wife remembers every one of the times.

At these times when I know it was not said in jest or offense I usually quip back with "Ive never been able to wear a skirt because I can never find red or black pumps in size 14. Besides they are too hard to walk in." This got them all laughing and me a couple of lingering looks as I left the store.

Can I modify this to "when you have great legs like mine you just have to wear at kilt to show them off. Now if I can only find size 13 pumps in red or black that don't hurt my feet."