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The pea coat takes its name from Dutch cloth

The pea coat has nothing to do with peas. The name comes from the Dutch word pij, a coarse blue twilled wool, stitched into a short, heavy sailor's jacket. There is a tidier story that 'P' stands for pilot cloth, but the dictionaries side with the Dutch. A fisherman's coat that the navies, then everyone, borrowed.

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The post, as it ran

01THE PEA COAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PEAS.
02THE NAME COMES FROM THE DUTCH WORD PIJ, A COARSE BLUE TWILLED WOOL.
03STITCHED INTO A SHORT, HEAVY SAILOR'S JACKET.
04THE 'PILOT CLOTH' STORY IS TIDIER, BUT THE DICTIONARIES SIDE WITH THE DUTCH.
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