Prince Alberts
plural noun Australian /NZ historical
Rags wrapped around the feet as substitute socks or shoes: in the high country, some of the men had no boots, only Prince Alberts...
- Seated upon his old sea chest, he rewrapped the Prince Alberts on his feet and legs.
- The Wellington boot was bucked off one foot and the prince-alberts following in due course.
- "Notice those squares of calico hanging on the wire-netting near his kitchen?" Jim asked. "They were his Prince Alberts."
Origin
Late 19th century: with humorous reference to the alleged poverty of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha before his marriage to Queen Victoria.