Tee Shirts

Well, when it comes to khaki, turns out the answer was not A, nor B, nor even C ... but D: "All of the above - and more!"

If you recall from this past Friday's post, I'd asked you if khaki was a color or a style. Many of you responded - thank you - and I now know that not only is it BOTH a color and a style ... it's also a type of fabric.

The word itself began as the Indian word for either dust, or excrement. A few of you cited sources showing both. (You might see where we get the vernacular phrase, "ka-ka" for the latter definition.) But let's stick with dust. It's safer. The British military wore dust-colored uniforms and they were so useful with their multiple pockets that they continued to wear them even after they left the service.

This inspired civilian fashion designers and thus "khaki" also became a style of clothing, as well as a description of the rough-hewn but comfortable fabric. We know this style today as "business casual" but you can also see remnants of the original design in what we call "cargo pants."

And, in the interest of full disclosure, "Khaki" is also the name of list members Rob and Heather M.'s dog from just down the street.

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TEE SHIRT SLOGANS

I'm on Debt Row.

My Search Engine ran out of gas.

Figment of my own imagination.

Denial is a good thing if used correctly.

I do all of my own stunts.

This body best viewed with Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.

Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.

We got rid of the kids - the cat was allergic.

[selected from websites all over]

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WORD for YOUR WEEK: List member Pamela A. wants to know the origin of "goody two-shoes." Fair enough. The Word Detective points out that long ago "Goody Two-Shoes" was a little girl in a children's story published in 1766. The author was believed to be Irish playwright Oliver Goldsmith. Goody was a poor child who only had one shoe, but through her kind behavior, was awarded two shoes by a rich man in town. Her original name in the story was Margery Meanwell. After being given the new shoes, she ran through the town, stopping all the passers-by and shouting, "Two Shoes! Two Shoes!" Thus earning the nickname of "Little Goody Two-Shoes." She went on in the story to become a teacher and married a rich widower, upholding the value of virtuous conduct in children. It wasn't until the 1930s that the phrase "Goody Two-Shoes" began to have negative connotations, as in someone who was only being good or nice to get something, not because they actually WERE good or nice.

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