Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1909-1949
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FLASH, n.2 Gen. in pl.: the tab of cloth, usu. scarlet, worn on the garter of a kilt stocking so as to project below the turn-down. Gen.Sc. The word appears first in military usage shortly a.1914, each Highland regiment having its own distinctive arrangement of the garter-braid.Sc. 1909 MS. (per Messrs W. Anderson, Edb.):
Scarlet Garters with Flashes.Sc. 1920 Messrs J. & R. Glen Catalogue:
Garter Flashes, in scarlet or green.Sc. 1938 R. Bain Clans and Tartans 41:
Garters should be made of wool or worsted, and knotted with a garter knot, with the ends, or flashes, hanging below the overturn, if there is one, of the hose.Sc. 1949 G. Blake Paying Guest v.:
Pale khaki stockings with red garter--flashes.
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"Flash n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/flash_n2>
