furbelow, n.
1. A piece of stuff pleated and puckered on a gown or petticoat; a flounce; the pleated border of a petticoat or gown. Now often in pl. as a contemptuous term for showy ornaments or trimming, esp. in a lady’s dress.
1862 M. E. BRADDON Lady Audley xxxiii. 249 My lady smiled as she looked at the festoons and furbelows which met her eye upon every side.
(Such a pretty word, I like it. But I am rather innocent – have just been told by hardened cynics to expect a traffic spike from filthy google searchers. Oof!)
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
hahaha, I must be pretty innocent too, I didn’t think of any alternative connotations either! It is a pretty word though, and that picture of Lady Audley is divine!
I think I may one up you…I’m both innocent and clueless, so I could never fathom another meaning for the word furbelow – which, I must admit, I find quite pretty, as well. Can’t you just imagine it being used by a character in one of Jane Austen’s novels? It has a romantic tinge to it. :)
Okay good, it’s just not me and I suspect it’s actually nothing to be worried about! I just happened to be sitting next to the dirtiest person alive when I wrote this post :)
Ribbons, flounces and furbelows, oh my!
what a beautiful photo. you find the nicest things. and it took me a moment but i got the double-entendre. oh dear.