Thanks Mike. I also heard that the shoddy was used to make uniforms for Queen Victoria's Armies in Europe. Cheers Helen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike W" <casofilia@xtra.co.nz> To: <ENG-WILTSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, June 10, 2006 9:01 AM Subject: Re: [ENG-WIL] A shoddy merchant > Hello Helen. > > My first inclination was a "rag and bone" man. Then I looked in the > dictionary and wasn't really too far out!! Shoddy is "an inferior textile > material made up from woollen waste or from discarded woollen cloths and > rags that have been pulled to shreds by a shoddy-machine". > > Mike >