The Highland Fling is a solo Highland dance that gained popularity in the early 19th century. The word 'Fling' means literally a movement in dancing. In John Jamieson 's 1808 Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language , the Highland Fling was defined as 'one species of movement' in dancing, not as one particular movement. There is some speculation that the first solo Highland Fling dances simply showed off steps that individual dancers preferred in the Strathspey Reel, a social dance.
96-403: This dance is now performed at dance competitions and events around the world. One goal of dancers today is to stay in the same spot throughout the dance. The Highland Fling is danced at almost all competition levels, from primary to premier. It is also performed for Highland and theory examinations. Dancers wear a kilt to perform the dance, which is in 4 time. A version of a Fling in
192-617: A black bow tie ) or an Argyll jacket (worn with a black bow tie or a regular necktie ). Full formal is white-tie and calls for a more formal coat, such as the Sherrifmuir doublet or regulation doublet. Irish formal dress is distinguished from Highland dress by the Brian Boru jacket, a modified Prince Charlie with a shawl collar, chain closure and round buttons. In all these cases, the coats are worn with an accompanying waistcoat (vest). Kilts are also used for parades by groups such as
288-454: A charcoal kiln , the heat is supplied by burning part of the starting material itself, with a limited supply of oxygen . The material can also be heated in a closed retort . Modern charcoal briquettes used for outdoor cooking may contain many other additives, e.g. coal . The history of wood charcoal production spans ancient times, rooted in the abundance of wood in various regions. The process typically involves stacking wood billets to form
384-413: A charcoal pile or clamp . This was essentially a pile of wooden logs (e.g. seasoned oak) leaning in a circle against a chimney. The chimney consisted of 4 wooden stakes held up by some rope. In the clamp too the logs were completely covered with soil and straw allowing no air to enter. It must be lit by introducing some burning fuel into the chimney. The logs burned slowly and transformed into charcoal over
480-518: A percussive dance style was remembered and danced by John Gillis in Cape Breton Island , Nova Scotia , and those steps were written down in 1957 by Frank Rhodes. Each step was preceded by a travelling step in a circular pathway danced to the first part of the tune Sterling Castle, while the individual Fling steps were danced to the second part of the tune. The dance can be performed as a: The first and last steps must always be placed in
576-468: A wood gas generator . In 1931, Tang Zhongming developed an automobile powered by charcoal, and these cars were popular in China until the 1950s, and in occupied France during World War II , where they were called gazogènes . Charcoal is used in the production of black powder , which is used extensively in the production of fireworks. It is usually ground into a fine powder, with air float grade being
672-445: A " true Scotsman " should wear nothing under his kilt. The Scottish Tartans Authority, however, warns that in some circumstances the practice could be "childish and unhygienic" and flying "in the face of decency". The typical kilt as seen at modern Highland games events is made of twill woven worsted wool . The twill weave used for kilts is a "2–2 type", meaning that each weft thread passes over and under two warp threads at
768-471: A conical pile, allowing air to enter through openings at the bottom, and igniting the pile gradually. Charcoal burners, skilled professionals tasked with managing the delicate operation, often lived in isolation to tend their wood piles. Throughout history, the extensive production of charcoal has been a significant contributor to deforestation, particularly in regions like Central Europe. However, various management practices, such as coppicing , aimed to maintain
864-435: A deep brown-black after some time at 280 °C (540 °F), and an easily powdered mass at 310 °C (590 °F). Charcoal made at 300 °C (570 °F) is brown, soft and friable, and readily inflames at 380 °C (720 °F); made at higher temperatures it is hard and brittle, and does not fire until heated to about 700 °C (1,300 °F). Modern methods employ retorting technology, in which process heat
960-466: A few weights. A modern kilt for a typical adult uses about 6–8 yards of single-width (about 26–30 inches) or about 3–4 yards of double-width (about 54–60 inches) tartan fabric. Double-width fabric is woven so that the pattern exactly matches on the selvage . Kilts are usually made without a hem because a hem would make the garment too bulky and cause it to hang incorrectly. The exact amount of fabric needed depends upon several factors including
1056-400: A filter, catalyst , or adsorbent. Charcoal burns at temperatures exceeding 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,010 degrees Fahrenheit). By comparison, the melting point of iron is approximately 1,200 to 1,550 °C (2,190 to 2,820 °F). Due to its porosity, it is sensitive to the flow of air and the heat generated can be moderated by controlling the air flow to the fire. For this reason charcoal
SECTION 10
#17327754783721152-456: A filter. Activated charcoal readily adsorbs a wide range of organic compounds dissolved or suspended in gases and liquids. In certain industrial processes, such as the purification of sucrose from cane sugar, impurities cause an undesirable color, which can be removed with activated charcoal. It is also used to absorb odors and toxins in gaseous solutions, as in home air purifiers and some types of gas mask . The medical use of activated charcoal
1248-503: A large range of purposes including art and medicine, but by far its most important use has been as a metallurgical fuel. Charcoal is the traditional fuel of a blacksmith's forge and other applications where an intense heat is required. Charcoal was also used historically as a source of black pigment by grinding it up. In this form charcoal was important to early chemists and was a constituent of formulas for mixtures such as black powder . Due to its high surface area , charcoal can be used as
1344-414: A microscopic scale. Charcoal may be used as a source of carbon in chemical reactions. One example of this is the production of carbon disulphide through the reaction of sulfur vapors with hot charcoal. In that case, the wood should be charred at high temperature to reduce the residual amounts of hydrogen and oxygen that lead to side reactions. Charcoal may be activated to increase its effectiveness as
1440-425: A period of 5 days. If the soil covering became torn or cracked by the fire, additional soil was placed on the cracks. Once the burn was complete, the chimney was plugged to prevent air from entering. The true art of this production method was in managing the sufficient generation of heat, by combusting part of the wood material, and the transfer of the heat to the wood in the process of being carbonized. The operation
1536-539: A raw material in pyrotechnics. It is also utilized in cosmetics, horticulture, animal husbandry, medicine, and environmental sustainability efforts, such as carbon sequestration. However, the production and utilization of charcoal can have adverse environmental impacts, including deforestation and emissions. Illegal and unregulated charcoal production, particularly in regions like South America and Africa, poses significant challenges to environmental conservation efforts. The production of wood charcoal in locations where there
1632-465: A regulated charcoal industry that required replanting and sustainable use of the forests "would give their people clean efficient energy – and their energy industries a strong competitive advantage". Recent assessments of charcoal imported to Europe have shown that many charcoal products are produced from tropical wood, often of undeclared origin. In an analysis of barbecue charcoal marketed in Germany,
1728-660: A short time, research on Terra preta soils in Amazonia has discovered the widespread use of biochar by pre-Columbian natives to ameliorate unproductive soil into soil rich in carbon . The technique may find modern application, both to improve soils and as a means of carbon sequestration . Charcoal is mixed with feed, added to litter , or used in the treatment of manure . Poultry benefits from using charcoal in this manner. A concern that activated charcoal might be used unscrupulously to allow livestock to tolerate low quality feed contaminated with aflatoxins resulted in
1824-602: A simple form of contemporary kilt. They will typically wear compression shorts or spandex underneath. Such kilts are popular among many levels of lacrosse, from youth leagues to college leagues, although some teams are replacing the kilt with the more streamlined athletic skirt . Men's kilts are often seen in popular contemporary media. For example, in the Syfy series Tin Man , side characters are shown wearing kilts as peasant working clothes. Trends in everyday fashion, especially in
1920-597: A smelting fuel has been experiencing a resurgence in South America resulting in severe environmental, social and medical problems. Charcoal production at a sub-industrial level is one of the causes of deforestation. Charcoal production is now usually illegal and nearly always unregulated, as in Brazil , where charcoal production is a large illegal industry for making pig iron . Massive forest destruction has been documented in areas such as Virunga National Park in
2016-411: A sporran, and may have pockets or tool belts attached. In Canada, kilts are widely common as part of female dress at schools with a uniform policy. As well, due to the rich Scottish heritage of the country, they may frequently be seen at weddings and formal events. In Nova Scotia , they may even be worn as common daily attire. In 2008, a USPS letter carrier, Dean Peterson, made a formal proposal that
SECTION 20
#17327754783722112-613: A steady supply of wood for charcoal production. The scarcity of easily accessible wood resources eventually led to the transition to fossil fuel equivalents like coal. Modern methods of charcoal production involve carbonizing wood in retorts, yielding higher efficiencies compared to traditional kilning methods. The properties of charcoal depend on factors such as the material charred and the temperature of carbonization. Charcoal finds diverse applications, including metallurgical fuel in iron and steel production, industrial fuel, cooking and heating fuel, reducing agent in chemical processes, and as
2208-400: A symmetrical tartan. Some tartans, like Buchanan , are asymmetrical, which means they do not have a pivot point. The weaver weaves the sequence all the way through and then starts at the beginning again for the next sett. Setts are further characterised by their size, the number of inches (or centimetres) in one full repeat. The size of a given sett depends on not only the number of threads in
2304-419: A time. The result is a distinctive diagonal-weave pattern in the fabric which is called the twill line. This kind of twill, when woven according to a given sett or written colour pattern (see below ) is called tartan. In contrast kilts worn by Irish pipers are made from solid-colour cloth, with saffron or green being the most widely used colours. Kilting fabric weights are given in ounces per yard and run from
2400-554: A trend during the 1980s. Stephen Sprouse introduced a black denim mini-skirt over black denim jeans in 1983. Then in 1984, Jean Paul Gaultier made waves in the fashion industry when he reintroduced mini skirts and kilts for men. Starting in the late 1990s, contemporary kilts (also known as modern kilts, fashion kilts, and, especially in the United States, utility kilts) have appeared in the clothing marketplace in Scotland,
2496-401: A variety of materials. Alternative fastenings may be used and pockets inserted to avoid the need for a sporran . Kilts have also been adopted as female wear for some sports. The kilt first appeared as the great kilt, the breacan or belted plaid , during the 16th century. The filleadh mòr or great kilt was a full-length garment whose upper half could be worn as a cloak draped over
2592-426: A way to improve the health of people burning raw biomass for cooking and/or heating. Modern "charcoal" briquettes, widely used for outdoor cooking, are made with charcoal but may also include coal as an energy source as well as accelerants, binders and filler. To contain the charcoal and use it for cooking purposes, a barbecue grill may be used. A small Japanese charcoal grill is known as a shichirin . A brazier
2688-591: Is a container used to burn charcoal or other solid fuel. To start the charcoal burning is harder than starting a wood fire and charcoal lighter fluid may be employed. A chimney starter or electric charcoal starter are tools to help with starting to light charcoal. Approximately 75% of fuel burned in Haiti is charcoal. Certain types of charcoal, such as wood charcoal, are used for reducing heated metallic oxides to their respective metals: Charcoal can also be used to reduce super heated steam to hydrogen (along with
2784-484: Is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill -woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish Highland dress for men , it is first recorded in the 16th century as the great kilt, a full-length garment whose upper half could be worn as a cloak. The small kilt or modern kilt emerged in the 18th century, and
2880-479: Is an abundance of wood dates back to ancient times. It generally began with piling billets of wood on their ends to form a conical pile. Openings were left at the bottom to admit air , with a central shaft serving as a flue . The whole pile was covered with turf or moistened clay . The firing began at the bottom of the flue, and the fire gradually spread outward and upward. The traditional method in Britain used
2976-474: Is becoming increasingly familiar at Highland games. The kilt is associated with a sense of Scottish national pride and will often be seen being worn, along with a football top , when members of the Tartan Army are watching a football or rugby match. The small sgian-dubh knife is sometimes replaced by a wooden or plastic alternative or omitted altogether for security concerns; for example, it typically
Highland Fling - Misplaced Pages Continue
3072-455: Is essentially the bottom half of the great kilt. Since the 19th century, it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland , and more broadly with Gaelic or Celtic heritage. Although the kilt is most often worn by men on formal occasions and at Highland games and other sports events, it has also been adapted as an item of informal male clothing, returning to its roots as an everyday garment. Kilts are now made for casual wear in
3168-485: Is generally more effective as an adsorption filter due to its increased porosity and surface area. Charcoal is used for drawing , making rough sketches in painting , and is one of the possible media used for making a parsemage . It usually must be preserved by the application of a fixative . Artists generally utilize charcoal in four forms: One additional use of charcoal was rediscovered recently for horticulture . Although American gardeners have used charcoal for
3264-427: Is mainly the absorption of poisons . Activated charcoal is available without a prescription, so it is used for a variety of health-related applications. For example, it is often used to reduce discomfort and embarrassment due to excessive gas ( flatulence ) in the digestive tract. Animal charcoal or bone black is the carbonaceous residue obtained by the dry distillation of bones. It contains only about 10% carbon,
3360-605: Is no evidence to determine its safety and effectiveness. Red colobus monkeys in Africa have been observed eating charcoal for self-medication. Because their leafy diets contain high levels of cyanide , which may lead to indigestion, they learned to consume charcoal, which absorbs the cyanide and relieves discomfort. This knowledge is transmitted from mother to infant. Production and utilization of charcoal, like any use of woody biomass as fuel, typically results in emissions and can contribute to deforestation. The use of charcoal as
3456-555: Is not allowed to be worn or carried onto a commercial aircraft. Though the origins of the Irish kilt continue to be a subject of debate, current evidence suggests that kilts originated in the Scottish Highlands and Isles and were worn by Irish nationalists from at least 1850s onwards and then cemented from the early 1900s as a symbol of Gaelic identity. A garment that has often been mistaken for kilts in early depictions
3552-421: Is recovered from, and solely provided by, the combustion of gas released during carbonization. Yields of retorting are considerably higher than those of kilning, and may reach 35%-40%. The properties of the charcoal produced depend on the material charred. The charring temperature is also important. Charcoal contains varying amounts of hydrogen and oxygen as well as ash and other impurities that, together with
3648-485: Is still widely used by blacksmiths. Charcoal has been used for the production of iron and steel (where it also provided the necessary carbon) since at least 2000 BCE , with artifacts having been found in Proto-Hittite layers at Kaman-Kalehöyük . Charcoal briquettes can burn up to approximately 1,260 °C (2,300 °F) with a forced air blower forge. In the 16th century, England had to pass laws to prevent
3744-571: Is the Irish léine croich ('saffron shirt'), a long tunic traditionally made from yellow cloth, but also found in other solid colours (e.g. black, green, red, or brown), or striped. Solid-coloured kilts were first adopted for use by Irish nationalists and thereafter by Irish regiments serving in the British Army, but they could often be seen in late 19th and early 20th century photos in Ireland especially at political and musical gatherings, as
3840-400: Is the size or width. The pleat width is selected based on the size of the sett and the amount of fabric to be used in constructing the kilt, and will generally vary from about 1/2" to about 3/4". The depth is the part of the pleat which is folded under the overlying pleat. It depends solely on the size of the tartan sett even when pleating to the stripe, since the sett determines the spacing of
3936-405: Is therefore nothing symbolic about the colours, and nothing about the patterns is a reflection of the status of the wearer. Although ready-to-wear kilts can be obtained in standard sizes, a custom kilt is tailored to the individual proportions of the wearer. At least three measurements, the waist, hips, and length of the kilt, are usually required. Sometimes the rise (distance above the waist) or
Highland Fling - Misplaced Pages Continue
4032-440: Is used to obtain showers of golden sparks in pyrotechnic compositions. Charcoal is also incorporated in multiple cosmetic products. It can be produced from regular bamboo cut into small pieces and boiled in water to remove soluble compounds. Raw bamboo charcoal is obtained after drying and carbonization in an oven at elevated temperature. The role of charcoal in cosmetics is based on its highly effective absorbing properties at
4128-692: The International Tartan Index ( ITI ) of the charitable organisation Scottish Tartans Authority (STA), which maintained a collection of fabric samples characterised by name and thread count, for free, which had its register, combined with others to form the Scottish Register of Tartans ( SRT ) of the statutory body the National Archives of Scotland (NAS), if the tartan meets SRT's criteria, for £70 as of 2010. Although many tartans are added every year, most of
4224-841: The Boys' Brigade and Scouts , and in many places kilts are seen in force at Highland games and pipe band championships as well as being worn at Scottish country dances and ceilidhs . Certain regiments and other units of the British Army and armies of other Commonwealth nations (including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa) with a Scottish heritage still continue to wear kilts as part of dress or duty uniform, though they have not been used in combat since 1940 Uniforms in which kilts are worn include ceremonial dress, service dress, and barracks dress. Kilts are considered appropriate for ceremonial and less formal parades, office duties, walking out, mess dinners, classroom instruction, and band practice. Ceremonial kilts have also been developed for
4320-637: The Democratic Republic of Congo , where it is considered a primary threat to the survival of the mountain gorillas. Similar threats are found in Zambia . In Malawi , illegal charcoal trade employs 92,800 workers and is the main source of heat and cooking fuel for 90 percent of the nation's population. Some experts, such as Duncan MacQueen, Principal Researcher–Forest Team, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) , argue that while illegal charcoal production causes deforestation,
4416-793: The Isle of Man , Brittany and Galicia . Although not considered a Celtic region, Northumbrian kilts in border tartan have also been adopted. There are currently sixteen Breton tartans officially recorded in the Scottish tartan registries. The Breton tartans are: Brittany National (Breton National), Brittany Walking, Lead it Of, and a further nine county tartans (Kerne, Leon, Tregor, Gwened , Dol, St. Malo, Rennes, Nantes, St. Brieuc). Others have been recently created for smaller areas in Brittany (Ushent, Bro Vigoudenn and Menez Du "Black Mountain"). There are three Galician tartans recorded in
4512-514: The Kingsford Company . The modern process of carbonizing wood, either in small pieces or as sawdust in cast iron retorts , is extensively practiced where wood is scarce, and also for the recovery of valuable byproducts ( wood spirit , pyroligneous acid , wood tar ), which the process permits. The question of the temperature of the carbonization is important; according to J. Percy, wood becomes brown at 220 °C (430 °F),
4608-540: The US Marine Corps , and the pipe and drum bands of the US Military Academy , US Naval Academy , and Norwich University (the military college of Vermont). It is not uncommon to see kilts worn at Irish pubs in the United States, and it is becoming somewhat less rare to see them in the workplace. Casual use of kilts dressed down with lace-up boots or moccasins, and with T-shirts or golf shirts,
4704-534: The World Wildlife Fund found that most products contain tropical wood. As a notable exception, reference is made to barbecue charcoal imports from Namibia , where charcoal is typically produced from surplus biomass resulting from woody plant encroachment . Charcoal trafficking in Somalia is an economic and environmental issue with significant regional-security implications. The last section of
4800-473: The kneecap and no higher than about an inch above it. A kilt can be pleated with either box or knife pleats . A knife pleat is a simple fold, while the box pleat is bulkier, consisting of two knife pleats back-to-back. Knife pleats are the most common in modern civilian kilts. Regimental traditions vary. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders use box pleats, while the Black Watch make their kilts of
4896-741: The sett , it exhibits. The association of particular patterns with individual clans and families can be traced back perhaps one or two centuries. It was only in the 19th-century Victorian era that the system of named tartans known today began to be systematically recorded and formalised, mostly by weaving companies for mercantile purposes. Up until this point, Highland tartans held regional associations rather than being identified with any particular clan. Today there are also tartans for districts, counties, societies and corporations. There are also setts for states and provinces; schools and universities; sporting activities; individuals; and commemorative and simple generic patterns that anybody can wear (see History of
SECTION 50
#17327754783724992-469: The 17th century. A strong disadvantage of this production method is the huge amount of emissions that are harmful to human health and the environment (emissions of unburnt methane). As a result of the partial combustion of wood material, the efficiency of the traditional method is low. The massive production of charcoal (at its height employing hundreds of thousands, mainly in Alpine and neighbouring forests)
5088-593: The Association of American Feed Control Officials banning it in 2012 from use in commercial livestock feeds. Charcoal in the form of charcoal biscuits was consumed in the past for gastric problems. Now it can be consumed in tablet, capsule, or powder form for digestive effects. Research regarding its effectiveness is controversial. Charcoal has been used in combination with saccharin in research to measure mucociliary transport time. Charcoal has also been incorporated into toothpaste formulas; however, there
5184-540: The Gothic subculture, have led to a popularisation of the kilt as an alternative to more conventional menswear. Some of these are made of PVC or cotton-polyester blends. Charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, called charcoal burning, often by forming
5280-519: The Industrial Revolution, charcoal was occasionally used as a cooking fuel . It is counted as a smokeless fuel ; that is, the carbon is sufficiently pure that burning it causes substantially less air pollution than burning the original uncarbonized organic material would. In the 20th century, clean-air legislation mandated smokeless fuels (mostly coke or charcoal) in many areas of Europe. In the 21st century, charcoal has been advocated as
5376-609: The MacDonnells of Inverness, also began making it, and when clansmen employed in logging, charcoal manufacture and iron smelting saw their chief making the new apparel, they soon followed making the kilt. From there its making use spread "in the shortest space" amongst the Highlanders, and even amongst some of the Northern Lowlanders. It has been suggested there is evidence that the philibeg with unsewn pleats
5472-527: The SOBHD text book. The required tempo is 114* beats per minute (bpm): There are many more steps in existence, some of which have been recorded in publications, for example, Traditional Step-Dancing in Scotland while some exist only in the memories of senior dancers. In 2008 the SOBHD recommended a tempo of 112-124 bpm for the Highland Fling on 2008 is 112-124 bpm. This has slowed considerably over
5568-570: The Scottish registries: Galicia, "Gallaecia – Galician National", and Bombeiros Voluntarios De Galicia. There is historical evidence of the use of tartan and kilt in Galicia up to the 18th century. Kilts are also traditionally worn by some people in Austria , especially in Carinthia and Upper Austria , due to their Celtic heritage. Kilts and other male skirts in general were relaunched as
5664-547: The US, and Canada in a range of fabrics, including leather, denim , corduroy , and cotton. They may be designed for formal or casual dress, for use in sports or outdoor recreation, or as white or blue collar workwear. Some are closely modelled on traditional Scottish kilts, but others are similar only in being knee-length skirt-like garments for men. They may have box pleats, symmetrical knife pleats and be fastened by studs or velcro instead of buckles. Many are designed to be worn without
5760-430: The action of a kilt. The kilt hugs the dancer's body from the waist down to the hipline and, from there, in response to the dancer's movements, it breaks sharply out. The way the kilt moves in response to the dance steps is an important part of the dance. If the pleats were not stitched down in this portion of the kilt, the action, or movement, would be quite different. Kilts made for Highland dancing are typically pleated to
5856-423: The body from the waist down to the centre of the knees. The overlapping layers in front are called "aprons" and are flat; the single layer of fabric around the sides and back is pleated. A kilt pin may be fastened to the front apron on the free corner (but is not passed through the layer below, as its function is to add weight). Underwear may or may not be worn, as the wearer prefers, although tradition has it that
SECTION 60
#17327754783725952-418: The center of each pleat. The result is that along the pleated section of the kilt (the back and sides) the pattern appears different from the unpleated front, often emphasising the horizontal bands rather than creating a balance between horizontal and vertical. This is often called military pleating because it is the style adopted by many military regiments. It is also widely used by pipe bands. In pleating to
6048-467: The competitors. These rules specify that kilts are to be worn (except that in the national dances, the female competitors will be wearing the Aboyne dress ). The Scottish kilt displays uniqueness of design, construction, and convention which differentiate it from other garments fitting the general description. It is a tailored garment that is wrapped around the wearer's body at the natural waist (between
6144-468: The country from becoming completely denuded of trees due to production of iron. In the 19th century charcoal was largely replaced by coke in steel production due to cost, even though coke usually adds sulphur and sometimes other deleterious contaminants to the pig iron. Wooded metallurgical regions devoid of coal like Sweden, the Urals, or Siberia transitioned from charcoal in the early 20th century. Prior to
6240-497: The end of the 19th century resulted in rapid re-forestation of affected areas. The American form of the charcoal briquette was first invented and patented by Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer of Pennsylvania in 1897 and was produced by the Zwoyer Fuel Company . The process was further popularized by Henry Ford , who used wood and sawdust byproducts from automobile fabrication as a feedstock . Ford Charcoal went on to become
6336-418: The fell (distance from waistline to the widest part of the hips) is also required. A properly made kilt, when buckled on the tightest holes of the straps, is not so loose that the wearer can easily twist the kilt around their body, nor so tight that it causes "scalloping" of the fabric where it is buckled. Additionally, the length of the kilt when buckled at the waist reaches a point no lower than halfway across
6432-561: The film Le Quattro Volte (2010) gives a good and long, if poetic, documentation of the traditional method of making charcoal. The Arthur Ransome children's series Swallows and Amazons (particularly the second book, Swallowdale ) features carefully drawn vignettes of the lives and the techniques of charcoal burners at the start of the 20th century, in the Lake District of the UK. Antonín Dvořák's opera King and Charcoal Burner
6528-413: The finest particle size available commercially. When used in black powder compositions, it is often ball-milled with other ingredients so that they are intimately mixed together. Certain charcoals perform better when used to make black powder; these include spruce, willow, paulownia and grapevine among others. Charcoal produces fine dark orange/golden sparks . Usually, powder with a mesh size from 10 to 325
6624-411: The formality of the context, include: Today most Scottish people regard kilts as formal dress or national dress . Although there are still a few people who wear a kilt daily, it is generally owned or hired to be worn at weddings or other formal occasions and may be worn by anyone regardless of nationality or descent. For semi-formal wear, kilts are usually worn with a Prince Charlie coatee (worn with
6720-576: The formation of carbon monoxide): Like many other sources of carbon, charcoal can be used for the production of various syngas compositions; i.e., various CO + H 2 + CO 2 + N 2 mixtures. The syngas is typically used as fuel, including automotive propulsion, or as a chemical feedstock. In times of scarce petroleum, automobiles and even buses have been converted to burn wood gas: a gas mixture consisting primarily of diluting atmospheric nitrogen , but also containing combustible gasses (mostly carbon monoxide ) released by burning charcoal or wood in
6816-399: The introduction of more active and easily managed reagents, but it is still employed to some extent in laboratory practice. The bleaching action of the charcoal in solution diminishes as it adsorbs colored contaminants, and it must be reactivated periodically by separate washing and reheating. While wood charcoal effectively removes some pigments and contaminants from solutions, bone charcoal
6912-544: The kilt for the process by which these associations came about). Setts are always arranged horizontally and vertically, never diagonally (except when adapted for women's skirts). They are specified by their thread counts, the sequence of colours and their units of width. As an example, the Wallace tartan has a thread count given as "K/4 R32 K32 Y/4" (K is black, R is red, and Y is yellow). This means that 4 units of black thread will be succeeded by 32 units of red, etc., in both
7008-499: The kilt be approved as an acceptable postal uniform—for reasons of comfort. The proposal was defeated at the convention of the 220,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers in 2008 by a large margin. 5.11 Tactical produced a "tactical duty kilt" as an April Fools' joke but has continued producing it. The contemporary hybrid kilts are made up of tartan -woven fabric material. Female athletes, especially lacrosse and field hockey players, often wear lacrosse kilts,
7104-481: The kilt was re-adopted as a symbol of Gaelic nationalism in Ireland during this period. Tartan was rarer in Irish kilts, as it was more expensive to manufacture. For the most part it was usually only used for sashes, trews and shawls. Wealthy Irish such as the Gaelic chieftains and high-ranking soldiers could afford tartan kilts. Within the world of Irish dancing, boys' kilts have been largely abandoned, especially since
7200-640: The look of older cloth weathered by the elements. Greens turn to light brown, blues become grey, and reds are a deeper wine colour. The last colour variation is "Muted" which tends toward earth tones . The greens are olive, blues are slate blue, and red is an even deeper wine colour. This means that of the approximately 3500 registered tartans available in the Scottish Tartans Authority database as of 2004 there are four possible colour variations for each, resulting in around 14,000 recognised tartan choices. Setts were registered until 2008, with
7296-407: The lowest rib and the hip) starting from one side (usually the wearer's left), around the front and back and across the front again to the opposite side. The fastenings consist of straps and buckles on both ends, the strap on the inside end usually passing through a slit in the waistband to be buckled on the outside; alternatively it may remain inside the waistband and be buckled inside. A kilt covers
7392-468: The registered patterns available today were created in the 19th century onward by commercial weavers who worked with a large variety of colours. The rise of Highland romanticism and the growing Anglicisation of Scottish culture by the Victorians at the time led to registering tartans with clan names. Before that, most of these patterns were more connected to geographical regions than to any clan. There
7488-407: The remaining being calcium and magnesium phosphates (80%) and other inorganic material originally present in the bones. It is generally manufactured from the residues obtained in the glue and gelatin industries. Its bleaching power was applied in 1812 by Derosne for clarifying sugar syrup , but its use in this direction has now greatly diminished. Today it is seldom used for this purpose due to
7584-470: The repeat but also the weight of the fabric. This is because the heavier the fabric, the thicker the threads will be, and thus the same number of threads of a heavier-weight fabric will occupy more space. The colours given in the thread count are specified as in heraldry , although tartan patterns are not heraldic. The exact shade which is used is a matter of artistic freedom and will vary from one fabric mill to another as well as in dye lot to another within
7680-600: The same mill. Tartans are commercially woven in four standard colour variations that describe the overall tone. "Ancient" or "Old" colours may be characterised by a slightly faded look intended to resemble the vegetable dyes that were once used, although in some cases "Old" simply identifies a tartan that was in use before the current one. Ancient greens and blues are lighter while reds appear orange. "Modern" colours are bright and show off modern aniline dyeing methods. The colours are bright red, dark hunter green, and usually navy blue. "Weathered" or "Reproduction" colours simulate
7776-456: The same spot, but the other steps may be placed as the dancer chooses. For championships competitions the SOBHD specifies a different order of steps for each year. Dancers taking theory exams may also need to know all of these steps, as well as their order, depending on the level they reach. Musical accompaniment is usually provide by the bagpipes ), playing "Monymusk" or any other suitable Strathspey tune . These following steps are included in
7872-495: The same tartan with knife pleats. These traditions were also passed on to affiliated regiments in the Commonwealth , and were retained in successor battalions to these regiments in the amalgamated Royal Regiment of Scotland . Pleats can be arranged relative to the pattern in two ways. In pleating to the stripe , one of the vertical stripes in the tartan is selected and the fabric is then folded so that this stripe runs down
7968-403: The sett , the fabric is folded so that the pattern of the sett is maintained and is repeated all around the kilt. This is done by taking up one full sett in each pleat, or two full setts if they are small. This causes the pleated sections to have the same pattern as the unpleated front. Any pleat is characterised by depth and width. The portion of the pleat that protrudes under the overlying pleat
8064-425: The sett, as opposed to the stripe. The Scottish kilt is usually worn with kilt hose (woollen socks), turned down at the knee, often with garters and flashes, and a sporran ( Gaelic for "purse": a type of pouch), which hangs around the waist from a chain or leather strap. This may be plain or embossed leather, or decorated with sealskin, fur, or polished metal plating. Other common accessories, depending on
8160-567: The shoulder, or brought up over the head. A version of the filleadh beag (philibeg), or small kilt (also known as the walking kilt), similar to the modern kilt was invented by an English Quaker from Lancashire named Thomas Rawlinson some time in the 1720s. He felt that the belted plaid was "cumbrous and unwieldy", and his solution was to separate the skirt and convert it into a distinct garment with pleats already sewn, which he himself began making. His associate, Iain MacDonnell, chief of
8256-408: The size of the sett, the number of pleats put into the garment, and the size of the person. For a full kilt, 8 yards of fabric would be used regardless of size and the number of pleats and depth of pleat would be adjusted according to their size. For a very large waist, it may be necessary to use 9 yards of cloth. One of the most-distinctive features of the authentic Scots kilt is the tartan pattern,
8352-412: The stripes. The number of pleats used in making kilts depends upon how much material is to be used in constructing the garment and upon the size of the sett. The pleats across the fell are tapered slightly since the wearer's waist is usually narrower than the hips and the pleats are usually stitched down either by machine or by hand. In Highland dancing, it is easy to see the effect of the stitching on
8448-403: The structure, determine the properties. The approximate composition of charcoal for gunpowders is sometimes empirically described as C 7 H 4 O. To obtain a coal with high purity, source material should be free of non-volatile compounds. Wood charcoal is obtained as the residue by destructive distillation of wood such that the products are: Charcoal has been used since earliest times for
8544-448: The very-heavy, regimental worsted of approximately 18–22 ounces (510–620 g) down to a light worsted of about 10–11 ounces (280–310 g). The most common weights for kilts are 13 ounces (370 g) and 16 ounces (450 g). The heavier weights are more appropriate for cooler weather, while the lighter weights would tend to be selected for warmer weather or for active use, such as Highland dancing. Some patterns are available in only
8640-402: The warp and the weft. Typically, the units are the actual number of threads, but as long as the proportions are maintained, the resulting pattern will be the same. This thread count also includes a pivot point indicated by the slash between the colour and thread number. The weaver is supposed to reverse the weaving sequence at the pivot point to create a mirror image of the pattern. This is called
8736-541: The worldwide popularity of Riverdance and the revival and interest in Irish dancing generally. The Irish still wear kilts but they are largely restricted to formal events and weddings. Irish marching bands often dress in kilts as well. Although not a traditional component of national dress outside Scotland or Ireland, kilts have become recently popular in the other Celtic nations as a sign of Celtic identity. Kilts and tartans can therefore also be seen in Wales , Cornwall,
8832-557: The years – from 192 bpm one hundred years ago, 152 bpm in the 1960s and then 134 bpm in the 1980s. The Highland Fling is referenced in the lyrics of Harlem hot jazz musician Harry Gibson 's 1947 hit "Who Put the Benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine ?" The Highland Fling can be seen in the 2002 film Nicholas Nickleby , performed by Alan Cumming. Kilt A kilt ( Scottish Gaelic : fèileadh [ˈfeːləɣ] )
8928-548: Was a major cause of deforestation , especially in Central Europe . Complaints (as early as the Stuart period ) about shortages may stem from over-exploitation or the impossibility of increasing production to match growing demand. In England , many woods were managed as coppices , which were cut and regrown cyclically, so that a steady supply of charcoal was available. But the increasing scarcity of easily harvested wood
9024-492: Was a major factor behind the switch to fossil fuel equivalents, mainly coal and brown coal for industrial use. In Finland and Scandinavia , the charcoal was considered the by-product of wood tar production. The best tar came from pine , thus pinewoods were cut down for tar pyrolysis . The residual charcoal was widely used as substitute for metallurgical coke in blast furnaces for smelting . Tar production led to rapid local deforestation. The end of tar production at
9120-643: Was made from the 1690s. The name "kilt" is applied to a range of garments: According to the Dictionary of the Scots Language and Oxford English Dictionary , the noun derives from a verb to kilt , originally meaning "to gird up; to tuck up (the skirts) round the body", which is apparently of Scandinavian origin. Organisations that sanction and grade the competitions in Highland dancing and piping all have rules governing acceptable attire for
9216-648: Was so delicate that it was generally left to colliers (professional charcoal burners). They often lived alone in small huts to tend their wood piles. For example, in the Harz Mountains of Germany, charcoal burners lived in conical huts called Köten which still exist today. The success of the operation depends upon the rate of the combustion . Under average conditions wood yields about 60% charcoal by volume , or 25% by weight ; small-scale production methods often yield only about 50% by volume, while large-scale methods enabled higher yields of about 90% by
#371628