Tartan Plaid
Preserved but no longer current.
A plaid of a tartan, or chequered, pattern. A plaid is some twelve yards of narrow cloth wrapped round the waist, or over the chest and one shoulder, and reaching to the knees. It may be chequered or not; but the English use of the word in such a compound as Scotch plaids, meaning chequered cloth, is a blunder for Scotch tartans. The tartan is the chequered pattern, every clan having its own tartan.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Tartan Plaid” mean?
A plaid of a tartan, or chequered, pattern. A plaid is some twelve yards of narrow cloth wrapped round the waist, or over the chest and one shoulder, and reaching to the knees. It may be chequered or not; but the English use of the word in such a compound as Scotch plaids, meaning chequered cloth, is a blunder for Scotch tartans. The tartan is the chequered pattern, every clan having its own tartan.
Is “Tartan Plaid” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.