Itchy and Scratchy
The River Tweed, which runs eastward for 156km in the Scottish Borders, is one of Scotland’s best sources for salmon fishing. It generates millions of Pound Sterling a year in revenue for the region. But fish, beautiful scenery, whisky and tourism aren’t the only thing going. The best thing in that land is, in fact, a heavy rough cloth called Tweed. A 1912 British dictionary described ‘tweedy’ as characteristic of the country or suburban set, but, in fact, it was largely worn by common labourers. Twyel, later tweel, was a 16th Century word for a thick woven fabric (twill in modern English) and, over centuries, the term evolved to Tweed, quite likely from the river’s sound-alike name. Some of the claims made by Scots Tweed producers are astonishing. Here’s a sampling.