houndstooth

noun — 3 senses

houndstooth

noun

US, UK /ˈhaʊndstuːθ/

Etymology From hound + -s- + tooth, from its appearance. Although the pattern itself is archaeologically found from time immemorial, the modern term is first attested in 1936.

1

A two-colour fabric pattern of broken checks.

  • Other patterns include varied adaptations of paisleys, Tree of Life motifs, tiles, scenics, patchworks, ticking, soft-edge geometries, sports themes, crewel shapes, houndsteeth, and a plethora of florals.1974, Interior Design, volume 45, New York, N.Y.: Interior Design Division of Whitney Communication Corp., →OCLC, page 251, column 1:
  • A houndstooth fabric is composed of tiny, interlocking pinwheel motifs. There are many houndstooth knitting patterns[…]; to add an extra touch to these patterns, work them in nubby or textured yarns.1998, Deborah Newton, “Dressmaker Details & Finishing”, in Designing Knitwear, Newtown, Ct.: Taunton Press, →ISBN, page 210:
1 more example
  • Sophisticated houndstooth checks highlight a toddler's jacket and hat.2004, Lois S. Young, “Houndstooth Toddler Set”, in Jeanne Stauffer, editor, Knitting in the Round, Berne, Ind.: House of White Birches, →ISBN, page 56:
2

Fabric with a houndstooth pattern; an item of clothing made with such fabric.

  • Their ties were tidier, their houndsteeth toothier … they ended up looking more Windsorian than Windsor.1970, Men's Wear, volume 161, New York, N.Y.: Fairchild Publications, →OCLC, page 73, column 1:
  • Her dress is wool too, brown and black houndsteeth that belonged to her mother.2014, Jacinda Townsend, “Jupiter”, in Saint Monkey: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 68:
3

Hound's tongue, a plant of species Cynoglossum officinale

Synonyms
dogstooth, dog's tooth, pied-de-poule

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.