Glen plaid

noun

1. a plaid pattern of muted colors or of black or gray and white, especially one in which two dark and two light stripes alternate with four dark and four light stripes, both vertically and horizontally, forming a crossing pattern of irregular checks.
2. a fabric having such a pattern.
3. a garment made of such a fabric.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Glen plaid¹

1925–30; originally Glenurquhart (or Glen Urquhart ) plaid (check, tweed, etc.), after a valley of that name in Invernesshire, Scotland

Example Sentences

Each non-Pee-wee appearance required the audience to recalibrate our expectations and remove Reubens from the glen plaid suits and pomade-slicked hairdo for which we came to know him.

From Salon

Here for men, the Bar silhouette was given a very British makeover, tailored yet constructed intentionally unkempt and loose in patterns such as Glen plaid.

From Seattle Times

He bought a Glen plaid suit to wear on the day of his testimony.

From Washington Post

“Patterns include gingham, Black Watch tartan, rep tie, Glen plaid, and little sailboats,” joked one tweet.

From New York Times

He likes a glen plaid and a pinstripe, but he spent the first week of his trial mostly rotating from charcoal gray to dove gray to banker ink.

From Washington Post