See Also: garter(medicine)
garter(dictionary)
garter(2)(dictionary)
garter(1)(dictionary)
garter snake(encyclopedia)
Order of the Garter, the(dictionary)
garter belt(dictionary)
garter snake(dictionary)
Garter, the Order of the(dictionary)
Garter, (The Most Noble) Order of the(encyclopedia)

garter(1) (iou)



garter noun. . ME.
[Old French gartier var. of jartier (also jartiere, mod. jarretiere), from garet, jaret bend of the knee, calf of the leg, prob. of Celtic origin: cf. GARROTTE noun.]
A band worn round the leg to keep a sock or stocking up; US a suspender. ME.
cast one's garter Scot. (now rare) secure a husband. have a person's guts for garters: see GUT noun.
E. Linklater Rosy, with shoes and garters already gone, was pulling off a stocking.
b. In pl. Fetters, irons. Nautical slang. L18.
The Garter: the badge of the highest order of British knighthood, consisting of a dark blue velvet ribbon trimmed with gold, worn below the left knee by men and on the left arm by women; also, membership of this order; the order itself. LME.
N. Mitford His long thin legs in silk stockings and knee breeches, the Garter round one..its ribbon across his shirt front.
Heraldry. In full Garter King of Arms. (The title of) the principal King of Arms of the College of Arms. LME.
A band resembling a garter in shape or function. M16.
fly-the-garter: see FLY verb.
b. spec. The belt or band used in the cheating game of prick (in) the garter (see below); the game itself; a person who plays this game. M18.
prick in the garter, prick the garter (a) the old cheating game fast and loose; (b) a confidence trick.
Heraldry. A bendlet; a charge representing a garter. M17.
= garter-snake below. L19.
Comb.: garter-belt N. Amer. a suspender belt; garter-blue noun & adjective (of) the colour (orig. pale, now dark blue) of the ribbon worn by knights of the garter; garter snake (a) any of several harmless, viviparous, largely semi-aquatic colubrid snakes of the genus Thamnophis, often with more or less distinct longitudinal stripes on the back, widespread in N. America; (b) any of various banded venomous elapid snakes of southern and tropical Africa; garter stitch the simplest knitting stitch, forming ridges in alternate rows, and orig. used in making garters; plain stitch; garter-webbing narrow elastic webbing used for garters.