A Brief History of Everything Nearly Sock
Sock Morphology over time
Unlike the object, the word has not changed that much. It is derived from the Latin term soccus, the Old English word socc and the Middle English word socke. Good sturdy roots then.
Their uses have also stayed strong over time. They keep your feet warm and dry...yup, what socks really do best is soak up the sweat! Feet have over 250,000 sweat glands which can produce over a pint of sweat in a day. Without the humble sock that would make for some pretty soggy tootsies, so thank you socks, we salute you.
It is in their form that socks have truly morphed, from damn right prickly and pokey, to comfy and, if you are lucky, fun too! The first socks date back to the earliest times in history when they consisted of grass, matted hair and animal hides. Variations of the above were worn by the ancient Greeks and the Romans, but it was not until the fifteenth century that we started to see fun socks for men. As women wore long, modest skirts it was the dudes that pioneered colorful socks to draw a ttention to their shapely legs. Patterns and decorative designs emerged, and people would wear different colours on each leg to add flourish and a certain "Je ne sais quoi" to their air. At The Sock Market we wholly support this long standing tradition and encourage the mixing of pairs of socks to create new funny sock combinations, like a Money Hungry Sumo chasing a Monkey Riding a Banana for example.
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Love and Socks
[[column]]The Sock Lexicon
[[/columns]] [[clearspace]] [[gallery columns="2" paddingv="30" paddingh="0"]] https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2152233/Portfolio/Graphic%20Work/Myles/A-brief-history-of-everything-sock.-Sock-Romance.jpg https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2152233/Portfolio/Graphic%20Work/Myles/Sock-Holiday-Pic-2-Or-let-David-and-Goliath-duke-it-out-over-the-banana..jpg [[/gallery]] [[columns padding="30"]]Love is in the Air
The world of socks was changed forever in the sixteenth century by one man's love for his wife. One day, William Lee got so tired of talking to the top of his beloved's bowed head as she furiously knit socks, socks and more socks that he invented the loom. Socks could now be made six times faster, giving the Lees more time to gaze lovingly into each other's eyes. Although Mr. Lee is responsible for a plethora of cute socks for women and colorful men's socks, Queen Elizabeth I was less than impressed. Her regal ankles were accustomed to fine Spanish silk stockings, and she found the loom made wool socks much too coarse and thus refused him a patent.Change Upon Change
The 1900s gave rise to nylon and the first circular knitting frames, the result: the mechanized production of stretchy socks. From then socks have evolved to fill every niche imaginable, not unlike the Lemurs of Madagascar. From toe socks to ankle socks to over the knee socks, from sedate black to Papal White to Ecclesiastic Purple to Hipster Bear; socks have got it all. Now people can choose to jazz up their day with colorful socks, hide them away with no show socks or get a few giggles with a pair of funny socks. [[column]]Looks like Goliath is going to Sock it to David. Fly little one, fly away on your golden banana!
The word sock has even got some new meanings and found its way into a variety of idioms:
- Sock: To stash money away as savings, preferably to invest in a pair of new funky socks.
- Sock: To beat and hit, hopefully not with a Mad Cow Bull Shevik full of pennies.
- Sock Hop: Rock and roll swept through the 1950s and high-school students could be seen hopping along to the music everywhere. The term sock hop was born due to over-protective schools enforcing a strict "No Shoes" policy in their gymnasiums, in order to protect the floors. All those cool hopping teens had no choice but to move to the music in their socked feet.
- Knock the Socks Off: To amaze and surprise. How we hope our customers will feel when they see our wide-range of funny, cute and colourful ankle socks.