A news story last week described Camilla, of Charles and Camilla, as looking a bit "linsey-woolsey." Can anyone help me with the origin of that perfect bit of description?
Orig. a textile material, woven from a mixture of wool and flax; now, a dress material of coarse inferior wool, woven upon a cotton warp. (i.e., a mixture of linen and wool)
figuritively, a strange medley in talk or action; confusion, nonsense.
What linsie wolsy hast thou to speake to us againe.
- All's Well, WS
curiously, jewish law prohibbits it! It is considered wrong to mix fibers in this way!
linsey woolsy was often used for things like bench covers (on wagon cushions, or other outdoor/rough places.)
see
Quinion for a comment on the Shakespearean use!
My immediate conjecture: By semantic drift, this ought to mean also ambiguous or befuddled, after the pols Linsey or Lidsey, and after woolly thinking: fuzzy; unclear; disorganized (see also tsu's link above)
Anyone else have this reaction