TextileGlossary.com

Chaps (pronounced 'shaps', and short for chaparajos) are sturdy leather coverings for the legs. They hang from one's belt, but unlike trousers they are not joined at the crotch. The most sturdy kind are made from single pieces of leather that wrap around to protect the fronts and sides of each leg. Since they need not be joined at the back of the leg they are considerably cooler than one might imagine. Their purpose is to protect the legs of cowboys and other people who work with cattle and horses from contact with daily environmental hazards. They help to protect riders from the thorns of cacti and other thorny vegetation on the open range, the horns of cattle being herded or rounded up, and other such environmental hazards. They protect the legs of farriers from getting scratched or cut up in the process of shoeing or otherwise treating the hooves of horses.

Chaps are sturdy leather coverings for the legs. They hang from one's belt, but unlike trousers they are not joined at the crotch. The most sturdy kind are made from single pieces of leather that wrap around to protect the fronts and sides of each leg.

'Recorded voluntary standards of the trade.' The U.S. Bureau of Standards issues Commercial Standards which are not laws, but are important as accepted voluntary benchmarks of performance and quality...

Silk fabric brocaded with silver and gold. The metal thread used for brocading is made from a fine strand of flattened metal wound over a core of silk, using yellow silk under gold, and white silk...

Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) refers to the firmness of a piece of foam. The lab puts a 4" x 15" x 15" piece of foam on a flat surface. Then a round metal plate, 8" in diameter, pushes down on...

A chemical reaction that changes cellulose linters (cotton) into cellulose acetate. This reaction improves the heat and rot resistance of the fiber yet does not adversely affect the other good...

A yarn which differs from the normal construction of single and folded yarns by way of deliberately produced irregularities in its construction. These irregularities are formed by increasing the...