trilbyn.

Brit.

/ˈtrɪlbi/, U.S.

/ˈtrɪlbi/

Forms: Also Trilby. Plural trilbies or trilbys.

Etymology: The title of a novel by George du Maurier published in 1894, and the name of its heroine.

1. colloquial.

a. A jocular name for the foot (with reference to Trilby's feet, which were objects of admiration). ? Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > extremities > foot > [noun]

footOE

heelOE

toec1290

pettitoes1590

goers1612

hoofa1616

fetlock1645

stamper1652

fetterlock1674

pedestal1695

trotter1755

footsie1762

dew-beaters1811

pedal1838

mud-hook1850

tootsy1854

tootsicum1860

gun-boat1870

mundowie1880

plate of meat1887

trilby1895

dog1913

puppies1922

1895 People 7 July An American paper has spent its energy of psychological investigation on the foot (I beg pardon, the trilby).

1907 H. E. Dudeney Canterbury Puzzles 114 ‘Two feet—’ he murmured. ‘Somebody's Trilbys?’ I inquired.

1932 U. Sinclair Candid Reminisc. i. v. 29 There was a book by the name of ‘Trilby’, which the ladies blushed to hear spoken of... I knew it had something to do with feet, because thereafter my father always called them ‘trilbies’.

†b. A particular type of shoe. (Formerly a proprietary name in the U.S.) Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > shoe > [noun] > types of > other

high shoea1387

patten1390

nine1599

foot glove1720

nullifier1840

mud-scow1863

sew-round1885

trilby1895

Buster Brown1904

straight1934

1895 Official Gaz. (U.S. Patent Office) 16 Apr. 447/1 Boots, shoes and lasts. S. Weil & Co., New York... ‘Trilby’. Essential feature—the word ‘Trilby’. Used since October 1, 1894.

1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 509/3 The Trilby... The very latest in ladies' footwear.

1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 104. 192/1 Our New Trilby... The accompanying cut is an exact reproduction of our new Trilby Shoe.

2. In full trilby hat: a soft felt hat, esp. one of the Homburg type with a narrow brim and indented crown; any hat of a similar shape.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > hat > made of specific material > felt > with dented, creased crown and curled brim

fedora1883

trilby1897

Homburg1904

Anthony Eden1936

Eden1940

Indiana Jones hat1981

1895 Bradford Daily Argus 12 Nov. 1/8 I have been puzzling my head to account for the reason of so many soft hats being worn at present, and at last I have hit it. It is another phase of the ‘Trilby’ complaint. In one of the illustrations of the book Little Billee is ‘discovered’ wearing a hat of this description, so it has been seized upon by those worshippers at the shrine of Trilby, whom nature will not assist in the cultivation of a Svenjali [sic] beard or Taffy whiskers.]

1897 Daily News 6 Feb. 6/5 In the struggle Mr. Bennett lost his hat, a black ‘Trilby’... Mr. Carr..was also wearing a black ‘Trilby’ hat.

1902 Daily Chron. 1 Sept. 5/4 Botha wore a wide-brimmed ‘trilby’.

1915 E. Wallace Man who bought London iii. 33 He turned sharply to the young man in the trilby hat.

1927 W. Deeping Kitty v. 63 The window-sill being a low one Mrs Sarah had a good view of Vernor Street, and the passing of the khaki caps, bowlers, ‘Trilbys’ and cloth caps.

1930 Punch 19 Mar. 322/3 He seized upon his hat—his dove-grey trilby.

1958 Observer 9 Feb. 11/5 Three men in trilbies and a woman with straggly hair.

1978 Lancashire Life Apr. 67/1 Fred was a dapper dresser, and I like to remember him in Summer, wearing a medium-grey lightweight suit, black patent shoes, a beautifully-arranged lilac-coloured pure silk cravat with a massive diamond stick-pin, and a natural straw Trilby.

1979 ‘J. le Carré’ Smiley's People (1980) xxi. 258 Toby..handed him a trilby hat.

Derivatives

ˈtrilbied adj. wearing a trilby hat.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adjective] > wearing headgear > wearing a hat > types of

flat-headed1667

straw-hattedc1730

beavered1742

cocked-hatted1821

slouch-hatted1826

high-hatted1858

plug-hatted1869

sun-helmeted1886

pot-hatted1888

sou'-westered1891

cowboy-hatted1896

sombreroed1899

top hat1902

picture-hatted1906

bowler-hatted1909

sailor-hatted1909

tile-hatted1924

Stetsoned1935

trilbied1966

trilby-hatted1975

1966 Punch 12 Jan. 45/2 ‘Tell him about Indonesia, Dave,’ cried a small, trilbied man.

ˈtrilby-hatted adj. = trilbied adj.

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