Tam-O'-Shanter

Tam-O'-Shanter
   The tarn, the standard headgear of Scots ploughmen, was a shortened form of tam-o'-shanter. This cap was usually made of wool or cloth, and while fitting snugly to the head and around the brow, it was wider than the headband. Its distinctive mark was a pompom or a tassel in the center.
   Its name derives from Tarn O'Shanter, the hero of a Robert Burns poem (1789). The cap must have been a favorite of the poet, for in cartoons and other renderings, he is frequently seen wearing one. Burns reportedly wrote the poem while walking along the banks of the River Nith. In the poem Tarn O'Shanter had disturbed a witch revel and was pursued by the demon Cutty Sark to the bridge over the River Doon. The demon had to stop because it could not cross running water, but it plucked off the tail of Tarn O'Shanter's mare, Maggie.

Dictionary of eponyms. . 2013.

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  • tam o’ shanter — ➡ Tam o’ Shanter * * * …   Universalium

  • tam-o'-shanter — (n.) c.1840, type of bonnet formerly worn by Scottish plowmen, from Tam O Shanter Tom of Shanter, name of hero in a poem of the same name by Robert Burns, written 1790. The woolen cap became fashionable for ladies c.1887 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Tam-o'-shanter — Tam o shan ter, n. [So named after Tam o Shanter, a character in Burns s poem of the same name.] A kind of Scotch cap of wool, worsted, or the like, having a round, flattish top much wider than the band which fits the head, and usually having a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tam-o'-shanter — [tam′ə shan′tər] n. [< the name of the main character of Robert Burns s poem “Tam o Shanter”] a Scottish cap with a wide, round, flat top and, often, a center pompom …   English World dictionary

  • Tam O'Shanter — (1791) a long, humorous poem by Robert Burns, which tells the frightening story of a farmer called Tam O Shanter who is chased by ↑witches (=women with magic powers) …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • tam-o'-shanter — ► NOUN ▪ a round Scottish cap with a bobble in the centre. ORIGIN named after the hero of Robert Burns s poem Tam o Shanter (1790) …   English terms dictionary

  • tam-o'shanter — 7 [tam o shanter] [ˌtæməˈʃæntə(r)] [ˌtæməˈʃæntər] noun a round hat made of wool with a small ball made of wool in the centre, originally worn in Scotland …   Useful english dictionary

  • tam-o'-shanter — /tam euh shan teuhr, tam euh shan ter/, n. a cap of Scottish origin, usually made of wool, having a round, flat top that projects all around the head and has a pompon at its center. Also called tam. [1880 85; named after the hero of Tam O Shanter …   Universalium

  • Tam o’ Shanter — /tam ə shanˈtər/ noun 1. The hero of Burns s poem of the same name 2. A cap with broad circular flat top (informal tam or tammˈy) …   Useful english dictionary

  • tam-o'-shanter — [ˌtamə ʃantə] noun a round Scottish cap with a bobble in the centre. Origin C19: named after the hero of Robert Burns s poem Tam o Shanter (1790) …   English new terms dictionary

  • tam-o'-shanter — tam o shan•ter [[t]ˈtæm əˌʃæn tər[/t]] n. clo a round, flat cap of Scottish origin, usu. of wool, with a pompom at its center • Etymology: 1880–85; after the hero of Tam O Shanter (1791), poem by Robert Burns …   From formal English to slang

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