20 hours ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Know your Scots: When did you last see a pair of nicky tams?
The Statistical Account from East Lothian in 1953 gives the following information: 'It was characteristic of the ploughman to secure his trousers round his legs immediately below the knees by a narrow buckled strap or thong. These attachments were known in this part of the country as nickie tams or bow yanks'.
In 1998, we have the following from Ian Cameron's The Jimmy Shand Story: '… proudly brushed down his new moleskin trousers, making sure they had their own knee strings to make nicky-tams'.
The term is still remembered in the 21st century, but requires explanation, as this memory recalled in the Daily Record of July 2021 attests: 'He would always be wearing nicky tams – working trousers tied at the knee with cord – and tackety boots. The sparks would be fair flying off the road when he tramped down to the Cross Keys'.
