congress gaiter
- noun
- Archaic
:
botín de congreso
- The shop specialized in vintage footwear, including congress gaiters from the Victorian era.
Examples
-
He wore a pair of black congress gaiters polished to a high shine.
-
Fashion began to change, and the congress gaiter gradually fell out of style by the 1920s.
-
He wore a pair of congress gaiters to the formal event.
-
Those congress gaiters are quite fashionable for vintage enthusiasts.
-
The shop specialized in vintage footwear, including congress gaiters from the Victorian era.
-
He wore a pair of black congress gaiters polished to a high shine.
-
Fashion began to change, and the congress gaiter gradually fell out of style by the 1920s.
Synonyms
1
8.9
A cloth or leather piece that fits over the lower leg and ankle to keep out mud and snow
An ankle-high boot with elastic sides often worn in the 1800s
An ankle-high shoe with elastic sides that you slip on
Surface Forms
Morphology
congress + gaiter
Although 'gaiter' as a covering for the ankle is transparent, the modifier 'congress' is an opaque, historical/style label that does not contribute a predictable meaning (it does not mean 'elastic' or 'ankle-high' in general English). A B1 learner who knows the literal words would not be able to infer the specific sense 'a type of ankle-high shoe/boot with elastic gussets' from the constituents, so the phrase is lexicalized and unpredictable.
Etymology
Congress gaiter may come from a stretch piece called congress put into the sides of ankle-high gaiters, so you could easily slip them on. That's why the name now means this style of boot with 'elastic' sides.