Prince of Walesn.
/ˌprɪns əv ˈweɪlz/, U.S. /ˌprɪns əv ˈweɪlz/ I. Compounds.
1. Prince of Wales feathers n. (also in genitive Prince of Wales' feathers, Prince of Wales's feathers).
a. The plume of three ostrich feathers first adopted as a crest by the eldest son of Edward III (Edward Plantagenet, the Black Prince, 1330–76); any pattern, design, or formation based on or resembling this plume.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > feather > types of
Prince of Wales feathers1796
marabou1819
1796 S. Birchall Alphabet. List Provincial Copper-Coins or Tokens 5 Prince of Wales's Feathers and Motto.
1842 Times 20 May 5/4 The device consisted..of a stupendous garter, from the upper portion of which..spring the various colours of England, and from its summit the Prince of Wales's feathers and riband.
1866 Littell's Living Age 19 May 449/1 There is the crown and the Prince of Wales' feathers, showing it [sc. a book] had belonged to Charles II. when prince.
1919 T. Wright Romance of Lace Pillow ix. 82 Other patterns were the Prince of Wales's Feathers.
1977 R.A.F. News 22 June–5 July 1/1 The manœuvre takes the nine Gnats up into a Prince of Wales feathers, with eight aircraft trailing white smoke and the leader trailing red.
2001 Western Daily Press (Nexis) 11 Mar. 14 The lace-like pattern of flowers in urns and Prince Of Wales feathers must have been an extraordinary labour of love.
b. A New Zealand fern, Leptopteris superba (family Osmundaceae), grown for its attractive plume-like fronds. Also called crape fern.
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the world > plants > particular plants > ferns > [noun] > other ferns
mountain parsley1578
female fern1597
rock parsley1597
spleenwort1597
marsh fern1686
prickly fern1764
parsley fern1777
sensitive fern1780
lady fern1783
stone-brake1796
mountain fern1800
rock brake1802
walking leaf1811
todea1813
shield-fern1814
Woodsia1815
mangemange1817
cinnamon fern1818
climbing fern1818
bladder-fern1828
king fern1829
filmy fern1830
ostrich fern1833
New York fern1843
mokimoki1844
rhizocarp1852
film-fern1855
nardoo1860
gymnogram1861
holly-fern1861
limestone-polypody1861
elk-horn1865
Gleichenia1865
lizard's herb1866
cliff brake1867
kidney fern1867
Christmas fern1873
Prince of Wales feathers1873
Christmas shield fern1878
buckler-fern1882
crape-fern1882
stag-horn1882
ladder fern1884
oleander fern1884
stag fern1884
resam1889
lip-fern1890
coral-fern1898
bamboo fern1930
pteroid1949
fern-gale-
1873 J. E. Tinne Wonderland of Antipodes 36 The dense undergrowth of the Prince of Wales' Feathers.
1930 B. Guthrie N.Z. Memories 171 There were carpets of delicate kidney ferns..Prince of Wales's feathers, umbrellas and many other varieties.
2002 Scotl. on Sunday (Nexis) 8 Sept. 38 These beautiful plants resemble miniature tree ferns... Some, such as the exquisite Prince of Wales feathers (Leptopteris superba), come from New Zealand.
c. Smoke or steam blown off in the shape of Prince of Wales feathers (sense 1a). rare.
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1901 ‘G. Douglas’ House with Green Shutters xiv. 150 He was staying on the platform till the last moment, in order to shew the people how nicely he could bring the smoke down his nostrils—his ‘Prince of Wales's feathers’ he called the great curling puffs.
1971 D. J. Smith Discovering Railwayana x. 58 Prince of Wales, short for Prince of Wales' feathers, a plume-like emission of steam.
2. Prince of Wales knot n. a style of knot used in tying neckties, popularly associated with the Prince of Wales (see etymological note).
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > neck-wear > [noun] > neck-tie or cravat > neck-tie > knots used in tying
sailor's knot1843
sailor knot1872
Prince of Wales knot1897
Windsor knot1953
1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 104. 222/2 Illustration No. 2205 shows the De Joinnile [necktie] as worn with an ordinary finger ring. No. 2206 shows it tied in a Prince of Wales knot.
1971 Guardian 3 Aug. 9/3 Broad kipper ties..tied in loose Prince of Wales knots, were featured by many Paris houses.
2000 Sunday Times (Nexis) 24 Sept. No woman now wears a liberty bodice or a little green hat. No man ties his tie in a Prince of Wales knot.
3. Prince of Wales check n. a large check pattern; a fabric in this pattern.A pattern in shades of brown sometimes said to have been designed for Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales, but later applied to other large check patterns, esp. that favoured by Edward VIII during his time as Prince of Wales.
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the world > matter > colour > variegation > chequered pattern > [noun]
checkingc1440
checkc1450
chequer-work1519
chequer1779
chequerboard1835
checkery1837
quadrille1884
windowpane check1898
Prince of Wales check1935
1935 Times 4 Mar. 21/2 In the Prince of Wales check kashlama a similar coat is 8½ guineas.
1958 P. Mortimer Daddy's gone a-Hunting vii. 35 A tall, thin man in Prince of Wales check.
1972 Vogue Feb. 73 Prince of Wales check wool tent coat.
1995 GQ Jan. 64 It's a strange sight, this immaculate figure in a Prince of Wales check suit being feted by a gaggle of boys in blue nylon jackets and baggy trousers.
II. Simple uses.
4. Railways slang. Short for Prince of Wales feathers (see 1c). rare.
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1965 H. Sheppard Dict. Railway Slang 8 Prince of Wales, blowing off steam by engine.
1971 D. J. Smith Discovering Railwayana x. 58 Prince of Wales, short for Prince of Wales' feathers, a plume-like emission of steam.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1796