I have what is probably a misunderstanding about the term four-in-hand. Is it just another kind of knot you may make in a (long, vertical) tie, like an alternative to a Windsor or (heaven help us!) a Double Windsor, or others on that long list? Or is it an overall term for that kind of tie (no matter how it is knotted), in contrast to Bow Tie and String Tie and Neckerchief and Ascot….
Here’s one of those lists, with diagrams that defy my spatial visualization abilities. Here four-in-hand is treated as one named knot among the many others (Pratt? Trinity??), rather than the name for the ribbon thing itself.
@ Mitch – The “Four in Hand” is indeed the proper name for one of the classic knots (it happens to be the one that I learned as a teenager and still use). One very interesting analysis and description of all the different ways to tie a tie is contained in the book “The 85 Ways to Tie a Tie“.
That last one’s revolting. Where’s Henry when we need him?
And it really amps up my admiration for cartooning with crayons
I have a Spike Jones record with the joke Falco used. And I bet it was an antique even in the ’40s.
I am amused to note that the tie knot I learned (the only one) is a Four-in-Hand, not a Windsor as I’d always thought (or at least, that’s the designations given by the site Mitch4 linked). Cool! I’ve only seen named knots in Regency romances and Sayers mysteries…
When I started at Megacorp many years ago, I got all my “real” clothes, but it wasn’t until the first morning that I realized I didn’t know how to knot the tie. When I was a kid, on those rare occasions, I either had a clip-on or my father would take care of it.
I fiddled with it until I came up with something like a four-in-hand.
Not as old as Spike Jones in the 40’s, but still pretty old, is a joke that was on the back of a Beverly Hillbillies bubble gum card:
Jethro: “Uncle Jed, I learned two new words in school today. One is ‘narrative.’ It means a tale. The other is ‘extinguish’. it means to put out.”
Uncle Jed: “That’s nice, Jethro. Before you go to bed, grab the cat by the narrative and extinguish her.”
I suppose for the crows the situation might be caws for alarm.
Is there a difference in pronunciation between “mai tai” and “my tie” ?
Re: Reply #6 – The song is “The Man On The Flying Trapeze” with Doodles Weaver. I recall being amused as a youngster (had the K-Tell greatest hits record of Spike Jones) but now I find their rendition a bit disjointed.
Grawlix asks- Is there a difference in pronunciation between “mai tai” and “my tie” ?
No, at least not bai miy.
Yeah the Mai Tai joke bothered me a bit. Are we supposed to assume that the characters are reading each other’s lines and can see the different spellings, as opposed to hearing the supposedly same pronunciation?
9- Mark in Boston – I remember my high school boyfriend telling some joke (don’t remember the joke in full) but it involved the same idea, but involved the word “anecdote” instead of “tale”, was bit on the “blue” side and involved “extinguishing his anecdote”.
(Per the one time I looked online for old boyfriend I found him on Facebook and he is a professor at a college in California with a very nice boyfriend. I had to find his sister to find him as he is using a nickname for his given name – and I only had looked for him as Robert suggested I do so. Yes, Robert has looked up many old girlfriends and we are each comfortable with the fact that we dated before each other.)
Comics I Don't Understand 
I have what is probably a misunderstanding about the term four-in-hand. Is it just another kind of knot you may make in a (long, vertical) tie, like an alternative to a Windsor or (heaven help us!) a Double Windsor, or others on that long list? Or is it an overall term for that kind of tie (no matter how it is knotted), in contrast to Bow Tie and String Tie and Neckerchief and Ascot….
Here’s one of those lists, with diagrams that defy my spatial visualization abilities. Here four-in-hand is treated as one named knot among the many others (Pratt? Trinity??), rather than the name for the ribbon thing itself.
https://www.theknot.com/content/how-to-tie-a-tie
@ Mitch – The “Four in Hand” is indeed the proper name for one of the classic knots (it happens to be the one that I learned as a teenager and still use). One very interesting analysis and description of all the different ways to tie a tie is contained in the book “The 85 Ways to Tie a Tie“.
That last one’s revolting. Where’s Henry when we need him?
And it really amps up my admiration for cartooning with crayons
I have a Spike Jones record with the joke Falco used. And I bet it was an antique even in the ’40s.
I am amused to note that the tie knot I learned (the only one) is a Four-in-Hand, not a Windsor as I’d always thought (or at least, that’s the designations given by the site Mitch4 linked). Cool! I’ve only seen named knots in Regency romances and Sayers mysteries…
When I started at Megacorp many years ago, I got all my “real” clothes, but it wasn’t until the first morning that I realized I didn’t know how to knot the tie. When I was a kid, on those rare occasions, I either had a clip-on or my father would take care of it.
I fiddled with it until I came up with something like a four-in-hand.
Not as old as Spike Jones in the 40’s, but still pretty old, is a joke that was on the back of a Beverly Hillbillies bubble gum card:
Jethro: “Uncle Jed, I learned two new words in school today. One is ‘narrative.’ It means a tale. The other is ‘extinguish’. it means to put out.”
Uncle Jed: “That’s nice, Jethro. Before you go to bed, grab the cat by the narrative and extinguish her.”
I suppose for the crows the situation might be caws for alarm.
Is there a difference in pronunciation between “mai tai” and “my tie” ?
Re: Reply #6 – The song is “The Man On The Flying Trapeze” with Doodles Weaver. I recall being amused as a youngster (had the K-Tell greatest hits record of Spike Jones) but now I find their rendition a bit disjointed.
Grawlix asks-
Is there a difference in pronunciation between “mai tai” and “my tie” ?No, at least not bai miy.
Yeah the Mai Tai joke bothered me a bit. Are we supposed to assume that the characters are reading each other’s lines and can see the different spellings, as opposed to hearing the supposedly same pronunciation?
9- Mark in Boston – I remember my high school boyfriend telling some joke (don’t remember the joke in full) but it involved the same idea, but involved the word “anecdote” instead of “tale”, was bit on the “blue” side and involved “extinguishing his anecdote”.
(Per the one time I looked online for old boyfriend I found him on Facebook and he is a professor at a college in California with a very nice boyfriend. I had to find his sister to find him as he is using a nickname for his given name – and I only had looked for him as Robert suggested I do so. Yes, Robert has looked up many old girlfriends and we are each comfortable with the fact that we dated before each other.)
Frank Hayes did a song called “Never Set the Cat on Fire.” It’s chock-full of helpful advice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGmeYqpixu8
Thanks, Susan!
But if you do happen to set the cat on fire, the important thing to do next is of course, PUT IT OUT.