puttie

A soldier wraps a puttie around his lower leg.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A long strip of cloth wound around the leg from ankle to knee: "puttie" refers to a piece of cloth, typically woolen, wrapped spirally around the lower leg, used as a protective and supportive covering, especially by soldiers, hikers, or workers in the early 20th century.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The soldier wore a puttie around each leg to protect his trousers and provide ankle support during the march. (A cloth strip wrapped for practical military use.)
  • In old photographs, you can see soldiers with putties wrapped tightly from their boots up to their knees. (Historical military legwear.)

Advanced Usage

• "to wind a puttie": to wrap the cloth strip around the leg in a specific manner.

  • He learned how to wind a puttie properly to ensure it stayed tight and didn't loosen while walking. (The specific action of applying the leg wrap.)

• "puttie gaiters": a variant where the puttie is made as a pre-sewn tubular garment rather than a strip.

  • The hiker preferred puttie gaiters for their ease of use compared to traditional cloth strips. (A more modern, ready-to-wear form.)

Variants and Related Words

• Puttee (n): an alternative spelling of "puttie," more common in British English.

  • The museum displayed a pair of original World War I puttees. (The cloth leg wraps.)

• Legging (n): a general term for a covering for the leg, but not specifically a wrapped strip.

  • The soldier's leggings were made of canvas, whereas a puttie is always a cloth strip. (A broader category of leg protection.)

Synonyms

• Leg wrap: a cloth bandage or strip wound around the leg.
• Gaiters: a covering for the lower leg, often made of cloth or leather, but typically not wrapped (more like a boot).

Related Idioms