I haven't been able to confirm the whig origin tale, but I have found
that it is widely known.
Filling in time while Erin prepares an extensive and exciting account
of her travels, I pass you this tidbit from Victoria Finlay, "Color; A
Natural History of the Palette." It comes in a footnote, "Levi Strauss
wanted to make the strongest possible overalls for the gold miners...so
he imported a blue cloth from the French town of Nimes (it was called
serge de Nimes, hence denim). It was only many years later that the
trousers were named "jeans" after the Genoese sailors who transported
the cloth.
David Ritchie, Portland, Oregon
------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
