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tattersall

[tat-er-sawl, -suh l]
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noun
  1. a pattern of squares formed by colored crossbars on a solid-color, usually light background.
  2. a fabric with this pattern.
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adjective
  1. having this pattern or made of such fabric: a tattersall vest.
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Origin of tattersall

First recorded in 1890–95; after Tattersall's, London horse market; such patterns were common on horse blankets
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tattersall

Historical Examples

  • The Turf Club would not have him; he durst not show at Tattersall's.

    Davenport Dunn, Volume 1 (of 2)

    Charles James Lever

  • On my honour I brought it you,—just as I took it at Tattersall's.

  • It was said, in Kildare Street, that no one at Tattersall's could beat him at a book.

  • The servants were gone, and the horses were advertised at Tattersall's already.

    Ravenshoe

    Henry Kingsley

  • So it is; but it is true, as true as Tattersall's—as true as Circassia or Virginia.

    The Newcomes

    William Makepeace Thackeray

British Dictionary definitions for tattersall

tattersall

noun
    1. a fabric, sometimes brightly coloured, having stripes or bars in a checked or squared pattern
    2. (as modifier)a tattersall coat
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Word Origin

C19: after Tattersall's; the horse blankets at the market originally had this pattern
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tattersall

n.

fabric with small and even check pattern, 1891, so called because it was similar to the traditional design of horse blankets, in reference to Tattersall's, a famous London horse market and gambler's rendezvous, founded 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724-95). The surname is from the place in Lincolnshire.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper