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Shirt

Business shirt Look up Shirt in Wiktionary, the free dictionary

A shirt is a piece of clothing for the trunk of the body.

In the UK, it refers most often to what Americans call a dress shirt or tailored shirt, i.e., a garment with a collar, cuffs, and a full vertical opening with buttons. In the US it tends to have a vaguer meaning, being applied to many types of (mainly men's) tops, leaving the word "top" generally for ladieswear.

Some common types or synonyms of shirts and tops:

  • T-shirt — a casual shirt without a collar or buttons, usually short-sleeved.
  • polo shirt — a v-neck shirt with a full collar; opening often closed with buttons or zipper. Short or long sleeve.
  • shirt or dress shirt — a shirt with collar and full vertical opening with buttons; left and right sides of this shirt meet with the placket front.
  • tank top — a sleeveless T-shirt.
    • wife beater — a tank top worn as an outer layer, also called an "A-shirt" or athletic shirt
    • construction shirt — essentially a sleeveless t-shirt with large armholes. Often worn by construction workers for increased movability.
    • camisole — woman's undershirt with narrow straps, or a similar garment worn alone (often with bra). Also referred to as a cami, shelf top, spaghetti straps or strappy top.
    • tunic — primitive shirt, distinguished by two-piece construction. Initially a men's garment, is normally seen in modern times being worn by women.
  • blouse — lady's shirt; the term is also used for some men's military uniform shirts.
  • nightshirt — often oversized, ruined or inexpensive light cloth undergarment shirt for sleeping.
  • sweatshirt — cotton or synthetic athletic shirt, with or without hood.
  • rugby shirt — typically a rugged long-sleeved polo shirt, of thick cotton or wool.
  • Hawaiian shirt — a colourful short-sleeve dress shirt. Actually called an Aloha shirt, but is often also called a "tropical shirt," hawaiian shirts are often not fitted and are woven from very light fabric.
  • guayabera — an embroidered dress shirt with four pockets.
  • golf shirt — same as polo shirt, typically embroidered with club or designer insignia; maybe be short or long-sleeved. Often worn with a sweater vest.
  • halfshirt — a high-hemmed t-shirt.
  • baseball shirt — usually distinguished by a three quarters sleeve, team insignia, and flat waistseam.
  • fishnet shirt, transparent, initially popular fashion item of punk culture or goth culture. See e.g. [1]

Tops which would generally not be called shirts:

  • tube top or boob tube — a shoulderless, sleeveless "tube" that wraps the torso (not reaching higher than the armpits, staying in place by elasticity or by a single strap that is attached to the front of the tube. see e.g [2])
  • halter top — a shoulderless, sleeveless, backless garment for women. It is mechanically analogous to an apron with a string around the back of the neck and across the lower back holding it in place.
  • diaper shirt — a shirt for infants which includes a long tail that is wrapped between the legs and buttoned to the front of the shirt.

Other tops which are not generally referred to as shirts include vests, sweaters, jackets and coats.

Many terms are used to describe and differentiate types of shirts and their construction. The smallest differences may have significance to a cultural or occupational group.

Recently, (late 20th century) it has become common to use tops to carry messages or advertising. These can be screen printed or embroidered.

For such clothing, including vests, sweaters, jackets, etc. one can disinguish:

  • With regard to covering the shoulders and arms:
    • with no covering of the shoulders or arms — a tube top (not reaching higher than the armpits, staying in place by elasticity, see e.g [3])
    • with only bands on the shoulders
    • covering the shoulders, but without sleeves
    • with short sleeves
    • with half-long sleeves
    • with long sleeves, may further be distinguished by the cuffs:
      • no buttons. See closed placket cuff.
      • buttons — single or multiple. A single button or pair aligned parallel with the cuff hem is considered a button cuff. Multiple buttons aligned perpendicular to the cuff hem, or parallel to the placket constitute a barrel cuff.
      • buttonholes only for use with cufflinks.
        • Typically a french cuff, where the end half of the cuff is folded over the cuff itself and fastened with a cufflink. This type of cuff has four buttons and a short placket.
        • More formally, a link cuff is worn. A link cuff is fastened like a french cuff, except is not folded over, but instead hemmed, at the edge of the sleeve.
  • With regard to level of the lower edge:
    • leaving the belly button area bare (much more common for women than for men. See halfshirt.
    • until the waist
    • covering the crotch
    • covering part of the legs (essentially this is a dress; however, a piece of clothing is either perceived as a shirt (worn with trousers) or as a dress (in Western culture mainly worn by women)).
  • With regard to opening or front:
    • vertical opening on the front side, all the way down, with buttons or zipper. When fastened with buttons, this opening is often called the placket front.
    • left and right front side not separable, put on over the head; with regard to upper front side opening:
      • V-shaped permanent opening on the top of the front side
      • no opening at the upper front side
      • vertical opening on the upper front side with buttons or zipper
        • men's shirts are often buttoned on the right whereas women's are often buttoned on the left.
  • With regard to the neck:
    • with polo-neck
    • with v-neck
    • with plunging neck
    • with open or tassel neck
    • with collar
      • windsor collar— or spread collar, a dressier collar designed with a wide distance between points (the spread) to accommodate the windsor knot tie. The standard business collar.
      • tab collar — a collar with two small fabric tabs that fasten together behind a tie to maintain collar spread.
      • wing collar — best suited for the bow tie, often only worn for very formal occaisions.
      • straight collar — or point collar, a version of the windsor collar that is distinguished by a narrower spread to better accommodate the four-in-hand knot, pratt knot, and the half-windsor knot. A moderate dress collar.
      • button-down collar — A collar with buttons that fasten the points or tips to a shirt. The most casual of collars worn with a tie.
      • band collar — essentially the lower part of a normal collar, first used as the original collar to which a separate collarpiece was attached. Rarely seen in modern fashion. Also casual.
      • turtle neck collar A collar that covers most of the throat.
    • without collar
  • With regard to pockets: how many (if any), where, and with regard to closure: not closable, just a flap, or with a button or zipper.
  • With or without hood

Some combinations are not applicable, of course, e.g. a tube top cannot have a collar.


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a tube top cannot have a collar. For example, "football and swimming are my favourite sports" would sound natural to all English speakers, whereas "I enjoy sport" would sound less natural than "I enjoy sports" to many North Americans. Some combinations are not applicable, of course, e.g. In all English dialects, "sports" is the term used for more than one specific sport. one can disinguish:. In American English, "sports" is more common for this usage. For such clothing, including vests, sweaters, jackets, etc. In Commonwealth English, sporting activities are commonly denoted by the collective noun "sport".

These can be screen printed or embroidered. The closeness of art and sport in these times was revealed by the nature of the Olympic Games which, as we have seen, were celebrations of both sporting and artistic achievements, poetry, sculpture and architecture. Recently, (late 20th century) it has become common to use tops to carry messages or advertising. The modern term 'art' as skill, is related to this ancient Greek term 'arete'. The smallest differences may have significance to a cultural or occupational group. Art and sport were probably more clearly linked at the time of Ancient Greece, when gymnastics and calisthenics invoked admiration and aesthetic appreciation for the physical build, prowess and 'arete' displayed by participants. Many terms are used to describe and differentiate types of shirts and their construction. It impresses us because of the ability, skill, and style which is shown.

Other tops which are not generally referred to as shirts include vests, sweaters, jackets and coats. In the same way, a sporting performance such as jumping doesn't just impress us as being an effective way to avoid obstacles or to get across streams. Tops which would generally not be called shirts:. So an aesthetically pleasing car is one which doesn't just get from A to B, but which impresses us with its grace, poise, and charisma. Some common types or synonyms of shirts and tops:. This is similar to a common view of aesthetic value, which is seen as something over and above the strictly functional value coming from an object's normal use. In the US it tends to have a vaguer meaning, being applied to many types of (mainly men's) tops, leaving the word "top" generally for ladieswear. The definition of "sport" above put forward the idea of an activity pursued not just for the usual purposes, for example, running not simply to get places, but running for its own sake, running as well as we can.

In the UK, it refers most often to what Americans call a dress shirt or tailored shirt, i.e., a garment with a collar, cuffs, and a full vertical opening with buttons. The fact that art is so close to sport in some situations is probably related to the nature of sport. A shirt is a piece of clothing for the trunk of the body. Similarly, there are other activities that have elements of sport and art in their execution, such as performance art, artistic gymnastics, Bodybuilding, Parkour, Yoga, dressage, etc. With or without hood. Ice skating and Tai chi, for example, are sports that come close to artistic spectacles in themselves: to watch these activities comes close to the experience of spectating at a ballet. With regard to pockets: how many (if any), where, and with regard to closure: not closable, just a flap, or with a button or zipper. Sport has many affinities with art.

without collar. See also: List of countries by national sport. turtle neck collar A collar that covers most of the throat. These trends are seen by some as contrary to the fundamental ethos of sport being carried on for its own sake, for the enjoyment of its participants. Also casual. Nationalism in general is often evident in the pursuit of sport, or in its reporting: people compete in national teams, or commentators and audiences can adopt a partisan view. Rarely seen in modern fashion. Until recently, under Rule 21, the GAA also banned members of the British security forces and members of the RUC, now reconstituted as the PSNI, from playing Gaelic games, but the advent of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 led to the eventual removal of the ban.

band collar — essentially the lower part of a normal collar, first used as the original collar to which a separate collarpiece was attached. Until recently the GAA continued to ban the playing of soccer and Rugby union at Gaelic venues under the controversial Rule 42, although Gaelic games are frequently played on soccer and rugby arenas, particularly outside of Ireland. The most casual of collars worn with a tie. Even until the mid 20th century a person could have been banned from playing Gaelic football, hurling, or other sports administered by the GAA if s/he played or supported Football, or other games seen to be of British origin. button-down collar — A collar with buttons that fasten the points or tips to a shirt. In the history of Ireland, Gaelic sports were connected with cultural nationalism. A moderate dress collar. The 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin was an illustration, perhaps best recognised in retrospect, where an ideology was developing which used the event to strengthen its spread through propaganda.

straight collar — or point collar, a version of the windsor collar that is distinguished by a narrower spread to better accommodate the four-in-hand knot, pratt knot, and the half-windsor knot. Some feel this was an effective contribution to the eventual demolition of the policy of apartheid, others feel that it may have prolonged and reinforced its worst effects. wing collar — best suited for the bow tie, often only worn for very formal occaisions. When apartheid was the official policy in South Africa, many sportspeople adopted the conscientious approach that they should not appear in competitive sports there. tab collar — a collar with two small fabric tabs that fasten together behind a tie to maintain collar spread. There have been many dilemmas for sports where a difficult political context is in place. The standard business collar. This has led to the control of each sport through a regulatory body to define what methods of competition are acceptable and what are considered cheating.

windsor collar— or spread collar, a dressier collar designed with a wide distance between points (the spread) to accommodate the windsor knot tie. The successful execution of a sport requires the consensus agreement of the participants on a set of rules for fair competition. with collar

    . Today the consensus is that David Beckham (England and Real Madrid Footballer) is the most famous sportsman in the world, with a fanatical following particularly in Asia where statues have been erected of his likeness. with open or tassel neck. The entertainment aspect also means that sportsmen and women are often elevated to celebrity status, or in some cases near-god-like. with plunging neck. This has resulted in some conflict, where the paycheck can be seen as more important than recreational aspects: or where the sport is changed simply to make it more profitable and popular therefore losing some of the traditions valued by some.

    with v-neck. The entertainment aspect of sport, together with the spread of mass media and increased leisure time, has led to professionalism in sport. with polo-neck. Athletes, coaches, fans, and parents sometimes unleash violent behaviour on people or property, in misguided shows of loyalty, dominance, anger, or celebration. With regard to the neck:

      . Violence in sports involves crossing the line between fair competition and intentional aggressive violence. men's shirts are often buttoned on the right whereas women's are often buttoned on the left. Compare Sportsmanship with Gamesmanship.

      vertical opening on the upper front side with buttons or zipper

        . Reciprocally, the other team is expected to return the ball from the throw-in. no opening at the upper front side. For example, in football it is considered sportsmanlike to kick the ball out of play to allow treatment for an injured player on the other side. V-shaped permanent opening on the top of the front side. Not only is it important to have good sportsmanship if one wins, but also if one loses. left and right front side not separable, put on over the head; with regard to upper front side opening:
          . Sportsmanship, within any given game, is how each competitor acts before, during, and after the competition.

          When fastened with buttons, this opening is often called the placket front. Indeed, the formal regulation of sport is a relatively modern and increasing development. vertical opening on the front side, all the way down, with buttons or zipper. Some of these activities have been popular but uncodified pursuits in various forms for different lengths of time. With regard to opening or front:

            . In this way sports evolve from leisure activity to more formal sports: relatively recent newcomers are BMX cycling, snowboarding, wrestling, etc. covering part of the legs (essentially this is a dress; however, a piece of clothing is either perceived as a shirt (worn with trousers) or as a dress (in Western culture mainly worn by women)). People responsible for leisure activities often seek recognition and respectability as sports by joining sports federations such as the IOC, or by forming their own regulatory body.

            covering the crotch. But often the pressures of competition (See the related article, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." or an obsession with individual achievement - as well as the intrusion of technology - can all work against enjoyment and fair play by participants. until the waist. is not winning but taking part” are typical expressions of this sentiment. See halfshirt. The well-known sentiment by sports journalist Grantland Rice, that it's “not that you won or lost but how you played the game," and the Modern Olympic creed expressed by its founder Pierre de Coubertin: "The most important thing . leaving the belly button area bare (much more common for women than for men. Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake.

            With regard to level of the lower edge:

              . However, it often emerges that skills are honed to increase racing performance and achievements in competition, rather than the converse. A link cuff is fastened like a french cuff, except is not folded over, but instead hemmed, at the edge of the sleeve. For example, beginners in sailing are often told that dinghy racing is a good means to sharpen the learner's sailing skills. More formally, a link cuff is worn. It is interesting that the motivation for sport is often an elusive element. This type of cuff has four buttons and a short placket. Sportsmanship is defined as "conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants, including a sense of fair play, courtesy toward teammates and opponents, a striving spirit, and grace in losing.".

              Typically a french cuff, where the end half of the cuff is folded over the cuff itself and fastened with a cufflink. The examples given are intended to be illustrative, rather than comprehensive. buttonholes only for use with cufflinks.

                . One system for classifying sports is as follows, based more on the sport's aim than on the actual mechanics. Multiple buttons aligned perpendicular to the cuff hem, or parallel to the placket constitute a barrel cuff. Main article: List of sports. A single button or pair aligned parallel with the cuff hem is considered a button cuff. Not only has professionalism helped increase the popularity of sports, but additionally the need to have fun and take a break from a hectic workday or to relieve unwanted stress, as with any profession.

                buttons — single or multiple. Professionalism became prevalent, further adding to the increase in sport's popularity. See closed placket cuff. These trends continued with the advent of mass media and global communication. no buttons. The Industrial Revolution and mass production brought increased leisure which allowed increases in spectator sports, less elitism in sports, and greater accessibility. with long sleeves, may further be distinguished by the cuffs:

                  . Activities necessary for food and survival became regulated activities done for pleasure or competition on an increasing scale, for example hunting, fishing, horticulture.

                  with half-long sleeves. Sport has been increasingly organised and regulated from the time of the Ancient Olympics up to the present century. with short sleeves. The Olympic Games were held every four years in Ancient Greece, at a small village in Pelopponisos called Olympia. covering the shoulders, but without sleeves. This suggests that the military culture of Greece was an influence on the development of its sports and vice versa. with only bands on the shoulders. Wrestling, running, boxing, javelin, discus throwing, and chariot racing were prevalent.

                  with no covering of the shoulders or arms — a tube top (not reaching higher than the armpits, staying in place by elasticity, see e.g [3]). A wide range of sports were already established at the time of the Ancient Greece. With regard to covering the shoulders and arms:

                    . Among other sports which originate in Persia are polo and jousting. diaper shirt — a shirt for infants which includes a long tail that is wrapped between the legs and buttoned to the front of the shirt. Ancient Persian sports such as the traditional Iranian martial art of Zourkhaneh had a close connection to the warfare skills. It is mechanically analogous to an apron with a string around the back of the neck and across the lower back holding it in place. Other sports included javelin throwing, high jump, and wrestling.

                    halter top — a shoulderless, sleeveless, backless garment for women. Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a range of sports were well developed and regulated several thousands of years ago, including swimming and fishing. see e.g [2]). Gymnastics appears to have been a popular sport in China's past. tube top or boob tube — a shoulderless, sleeveless "tube" that wraps the torso (not reaching higher than the armpits, staying in place by elasticity or by a single strap that is attached to the front of the tube. There are artifacts and structures which suggest that Chinese people engaged in activities which meet our definition of sport as early as 4000 BC. [1]. Although there is scant direct evidence of sport from these sources, it is reasonable to extrapolate that there was some activity at these times resembling sport.

                    See e.g. Some of these sources date from over 30,000 years ago, as established by carbon dating. fishnet shirt, transparent, initially popular fashion item of punk culture or goth culture. There are many modern discoveries in France, Africa, and Australia of cave art (see, for example, Lascaux) from prehistory which provide evidence of ritual ceremonial behaviour. baseball shirt — usually distinguished by a three quarters sleeve, team insignia, and flat waistseam. The development of sport throughout history teaches us a great deal about social changes, and about the nature of sport itself. halfshirt — a high-hemmed t-shirt. Main article: History of sport.

                    Often worn with a sweater vest. . golf shirt — same as polo shirt, typically embroidered with club or designer insignia; maybe be short or long-sleeved. The difference of purpose is what characterises sport, combined with the notion of individual (or team) skill or prowess. guayabera — an embroidered dress shirt with four pockets. A sport has physical activity, side by side competition, self-motivation and a scoring system. Actually called an Aloha shirt, but is often also called a "tropical shirt," hawaiian shirts are often not fitted and are woven from very light fabric. A sport consists of a physical and mentally competitive activity carried out with a recreational purpose for competition, for self-enjoyment, to attain excellence, for the development of a skill, or some combination of these.

                    Hawaiian shirt — a colourful short-sleeve dress shirt. The Meaning of Sports by Michael Mandel (PublicAffairs, ISBN 1-58648-252-1). rugby shirt — typically a rugged long-sleeved polo shirt, of thick cotton or wool. Golf. sweatshirt — cotton or synthetic athletic shirt, with or without hood. Paintball. nightshirt — often oversized, ruined or inexpensive light cloth undergarment shirt for sleeping. Curling.

                    blouse — lady's shirt; the term is also used for some men's military uniform shirts. Biathlon. Initially a men's garment, is normally seen in modern times being worn by women. Strength (Weight-lifting, triple jump, shot put ...). tunic — primitive shirt, distinguished by two-piece construction. Display (Gymnastics, bodybuilding, equestrianism, diving...). Also referred to as a cami, shelf top, spaghetti straps or strappy top. Target (Archery, shooting, darts ...).

                    camisole — woman's undershirt with narrow straps, or a similar garment worn alone (often with bra). Other examples include: Rugby, ice hockey, field hockey, softball, basketball, American Football...). Often worn by construction workers for increased movability. Team (cricket, Baseball and football (soccer) are the most popular globally, with baseball being popular in the Americas and in Japan, cricket in the Commonwealth of Nations and football being popular throughout the world. construction shirt — essentially a sleeveless t-shirt with large armholes. Court (Tennis, shuttlecock sport, badminton, volleyball, squash, Table tennis...). wife beater — a tank top worn as an outer layer, also called an "A-shirt" or athletic shirt. Combat (Wrestling, Judo, karate, boxing, fencing, tae kwon do...).

                    tank top — a sleeveless T-shirt.

                      . shirt or dress shirt — a shirt with collar and full vertical opening with buttons; left and right sides of this shirt meet with the placket front. Short or long sleeve. polo shirt — a v-neck shirt with a full collar; opening often closed with buttons or zipper.

                      T-shirt — a casual shirt without a collar or buttons, usually short-sleeved.