dog's-tooth check

9.1

A small jagged check pattern on fabric often black and white

noun
/dɔɡz tuθ tʃɛk/

: cuadro de diente de perro

The blazer was tailored from a striking dog's-tooth check fabric.

Examples

His suit featured a bold black-and-white dog's-tooth check.
I love the dog's-tooth checks on this coat!
She preferred classic styles, especially skirts in dog's-tooth check patterns.
The suit was made of a classic dog's-tooth check fabric.
His suit featured a bold black-and-white dog's-tooth check.
The blazer was tailored from a striking dog's-tooth check fabric.
She preferred classic styles, especially skirts in dog's-tooth check patterns.

Synonyms

houndstooth check

vsdog's-tooth check

7.7

A cloth pattern of small jagged checks in two colors

is the same pattern but uses a possessive or alternate form

hound's-tooth check

vsdog's-tooth check

7.9

A cloth pattern of small broken checks usually black and white

is the same pattern but refers more generally to any contrasting colors

dogstooth check

vsdog's-tooth check

Specialized

7.7

A cloth pattern with small jagged checks like a dog's tooth

is identical in design but is used as the general term for the pattern

Surface Forms

dog's-tooth check singular

dog's-tooth checks plural

Morphology

dog's-tooth + check

The element 'check' clearly signals a patterned fabric, so learners who know 'check' will expect a visual design. However 'dog's-tooth' is an established lexicalized descriptor whose connection to this particular jagged/houndstooth motif is not fully predictable from the literal words, so the exact pattern name and form would likely be only partially inferable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Dog's-tooth check is named for the tiny, pointed shapes in the cloth that look like a dog's tooth (also called 'houndstooth'). So the name came to mean 'a fabric pattern of small, broken or jagged checks'.