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Kilts: What is worn underneath?

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doubleT
Member
#1 · Posted: 30 Sep 2006 03:23
Is it true that in Scotland, men don't ware anything unber their kilts?

If this is true, whould Tintin have been wearing anything under his kilt in The Black Island?
Ranko
Member
#2 · Posted: 30 Sep 2006 10:10
doubleT,
No, nothing is worn under the kilt. Everything is in perfect working order!
Sorry, couldn't resist that rather silly old joke :-)
I suppose the simple answer is some do and some don't. There doesn't appear to be any definitive rule one way or another. There are plenty of stories out there that will have you believe otherwise. I have Scots friends and family, and I'm blissfully happy that the times I have seen the men in kilts something has been worn underneath!

It's up to you to decide what Tintin was wearing. For all I know he might not have anything on under his plus fours? Although we do see him in what could be a pair of boxers getting a shower from the elephant in Cigars of the Pharaoh.

Cheers,
Ranko
jock123
Moderator
#3 · Posted: 2 Oct 2006 09:31
The myth that nothing is worn under the kilt (old jokes aside!) as a matter of course, probably stems from a misapprehension of how the entire clothing of a Highlander was put on.

Before the 19th Century re-design that Highland dress went through following the interest of Prince Albert the Prince Consort and the popularity of Sir Walter Scott, the kilt was an unstructured wrap, made of a long piece of material gathered round the body in pleats, and with the free end thrown over the shoulder, then held in place with a belt and clasps. Beneath this was a sark, a long shirt like a night-shirt (the young witch in Burns's Tam O' Shanter is called "Cutty Sark" because she dances in a sark with the tails cut short, and she in turn was the inspiration for the name of the clipper of the same name, now in permanent dry dock at Greenwich, close to London).
The tails of the shirt were gathered up between the legs and wound round the waist, in the manner of a loin-cloth. So while there might not have been any separate underpants, there was usually adequate covering beneath the kilt.
Tintinrulz
Member
#4 · Posted: 4 Oct 2006 07:56
Woah, almost too much info. Guess that's why they call you Jock! Ha, ha - but seriously your a vertiable Mythbuster.
jock123
Moderator
#5 · Posted: 4 Oct 2006 09:27
Tintinrulz
a vertiable Mythbuster

– and sometime kilt-wearer!

Actually I am not certain why this myth causes so much intense interest - it's not as if there is some sort of police to enforce things one way or the other anyway, or that you will be fined if found in possession of a pair of underpants...!
castafiole
Member
#6 · Posted: 2 Mar 2007 20:53
Jock123, at the risk of saying something perhaps inappropriate on this board, the intense interest is likely fueled by the fairer sex, or by those interested in catching the attention and imagination of the fairer sex. Most of the people I know who care about what someone is wearing under his kilt are girls.

I should note that I myself am female, and am guilty of doing my fair share of ogling at men's knees at the local highland games every summer. :)
jockosjungle
Member
#7 · Posted: 3 Mar 2007 10:40
If you wear something under your kilt in the British army then you get punished!

On topic I suppose it's unlikely Tintin wore anything under his kilt if he was given a change of clothes, chances are some underwear wouldn't have been included if it was a kilt he was wearing! Although I imagine it can get quite cold in Scotland

R
Balthazar
Moderator
#8 · Posted: 5 Mar 2007 10:02
jockosjungle
...chances are some underwear wouldn't have been included...
Whilst it's true that the the old crofter may not have provided Tintin with new underpants, Tintin's own underpants probably weren't that badly damaged in the bramble bush the night before, compared to his outer clothing, so he probably just wears them under the kilt.

Of course, this would mean he'd be wearing the same underpants for three days running (he's been up all night the night before) but, if you think about it, this is pretty normal for him - many of the Tintin adventures involve him going for several days and nights without changing his underpants or socks. I suppose it's possible that he permanently carries a few spare pairs of each in his raincoat pockets, but this is never specified, and seems unlikely. I think we have to face up to the fact that by the end of many of his adventures, Tintin might be starting to smell a bit. But I may be drifting off topic.
castafiole
Member
#9 · Posted: 5 Mar 2007 13:15
I was thinking the exact same thing! Blah! How do you sneak up on someone if they can smell you coming?

Yet Tintin is a very fastidious man. Just look at the state of his apartment - everything is neat and tidily put away. Clearly he's no slob. So, during an adventure, maybe he tries to clean his stuff out when he can, using in the sink in a hotel, for example, or a nearby stream?

To get back on topic, I personally think he kept his drawers on when he changed into the kilt. It's more comfortable, and in any event, he wouldn't care about keeping up tradition, when there are bad guys to catch!
jock123
Moderator
#10 · Posted: 5 Mar 2007 16:50
jockosjungle
If you wear something under your kilt in the British army then you get punished!
I think this is another total myth; it doesn't pay to get all your military lore from watching Carry On Up the Khyber...!
The most I can find on the subject says that the wearing of underwear under the kilt is discretionary in the army, and it isn't specified who's discretion it is...!

There actually is a list of occasions when underwear is compulsory in the army, such as during Highland dancing and games, in mixed messes, and indeed anywhere where there may be members of the opposite sex... So pretty much at all times, these days!

Oh and I agree with castafiole - Tintin would take the opportunity to wash his smalls out when he has the time; other than that perhaps it explains the plus-fours - they actually contain pouches for clean pants and socks!

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