Boilersuit

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A boilersuit coverall Boilersuit2.jpg
A boilersuit coverall

A boilersuit (or boiler suit), also known as coveralls, is a loose fitting garment covering the whole body except for the head, hands and feet.

Contents

Terminology

The term boilersuit is most common in the UK, where the 1989 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary lists the word as having been first used on 28 October 1928 in the Sunday Express newspaper. The garments are typically known as coveralls in North America, while overall(s) is used elsewhere.[ citation needed ] In North America "overall" is more usually understood as a bib-and-brace overall, which is a type of trousers with attached suspenders.

A more tight-fitting garment that is otherwise similar to a boilersuit is usually called a jumpsuit. The "siren suit" favoured by Winston Churchill (but also worn by many others in the UK when air raids were a threat) during the Second World War was closely similar to a boilersuit.

Description

A man in a boilersuit Boilersuit.jpg
A man in a boilersuit

A boilersuit is a one-piece garment with full-length sleeves and legs like a jumpsuit, but usually less tight-fitting. Its main feature is that it has no gap between jacket and trousers or between lapels, and no loose jacket tails. It often has a long thin pocket down the outside of the right thigh to hold long tools. It usually has a front fastening extending the whole length of the front of the body up to the throat, with no lapels. It may be fastened with buttons, a zip, velcro, or snap fasteners. Boilersuits with an attached hood are available. The word "boilersuit" may also refer to disposable garments such as DuPont's Tyvek suits.

Usage

Coveralls are most often worn as protective clothing over "street" clothes at work. They can be used for painting and decorating, mechanical work, farming, factory work, and other activities where clothes may become soiled. Many companies provide workers with corporate branded boilersuits for identification and marketing.

A prison coverall Inmate in full harness restraints.jpg
A prison coverall

Coveralls are also sometimes used as prison uniforms in the U.S and other countries.

A police coverall Bundespolizei Einsatzoverall 2.jpg
A police coverall

Police tactical units often use boilersuits as a uniform, for instance the French police unit Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité, and the Austrian units EKO Cobra and WEGA. Similar coveralls made of Nomex in olive drab (and more recently, desert tan) are also used by the crews of armoured fighting vehicles in the US Army and Marine Corps, where the men and also their suits are sometimes called "CVCs", an abbreviation of "Combat Vehicle Crewman". [1]

More form fitting coveralls with many zippered pockets, originally made of cotton treated for flame resistance, but made of Nomex since the late 1960s, have been used as flight suits since the beginning of World War II. There are two main categories for coveralls: cloth and disposable. [2]

Both cloth and disposable coveralls are manufactured with their own unique protective properties including: high-visibility, insulation to protect against cold weather, waterproof, flame resistant to protect against fire, arc resistant to protect against flash fires, and even microporous fabrics when exposed to hazardous chemicals. [3]

Japanese politicians have been known to use boiler suits to convey an image of preparedness. [4]

Coveralls called student boilersuits are used by university students in some Nordic countries as a sort of party-uniform, with insignia on the back and colour varying with programme and university.

The suit is associated with the slasher subgenre, being worn by Michael Myers of the Halloween films.

Pete Townshend of The Who frequently wore a white boiler suit during performances and in publicity photographs from 1969-71. [5]

The Church of Scientology has punished Sea Org members in the Rehabilitation Project Force by making them wear black boiler suits. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

A suit is a set of garments with matching pieces, typically a jacket and trousers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodysuit</span> One-piece form-fitting garment that covers the torso and the crotch


A bodysuit is a one-piece form-fitting or skin-tight garment that covers the torso and the crotch, and sometimes the legs, hands, and feet, and cannot be used as a swimsuit. The style of a basic bodysuit is similar to a one-piece swimsuit and a leotard, though the materials may vary. A bodysuit, unlike a swimsuit or leotard, has snaps, hooks or velcro at the crotch. Thong or T-front thong bodysuits usually have the crotch opening moved up to the front to underbelly area to increase the wearer's comfort. A bodysuit may have sleeves and varying shoulder strap and collar styles. Bodysuits can be made from a number of fabrics, including cotton, lace, nylon, etc. In general, textile bodysuits include expandable fiber such as spandex for a better fit to the shape of the body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suit</span> Western business attire of matching jacket and trousers

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacket</span> Clothing for the upper body

A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves, and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and less insulating than a coat, which is outerwear. Some jackets are fashionable, while others serve as protective clothing. Jackets without sleeves are vests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumpsuit</span> One-piece suit

A jumpsuit is a one-piece garment with sleeves and legs and typically without integral coverings for feet, hands or head. The original jump suit is the functional one-piece garment used by parachutists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabardine</span> Tough, tightly woven fabric used to make suits, trousers and some other garments

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frock coat</span> Mens formal knee-length coat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight suit</span> Full-body garment

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lapel</span> Two flaps of material turned back on the chest, especially a continuation of a coat collar

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bunker gear</span> Person protective equipment used by firefighters

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghanka</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">ERDL pattern</span>

The ERDL pattern, also known as the Leaf pattern, is a camouflage pattern developed by the United States Army at its Engineer Research & Development Laboratories (ERDL) in 1948. It was not used until the Vietnam War, when it was issued to elite reconnaissance and special operations units beginning early 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrubs (clothing)</span> Lightweight, washable clothing worn by hospital staff or other medical personnel

Scrubs are the sanitary clothing worn by physicians, nurses, dentists and other workers involved in patient care. Originally designed for use by surgeons and other operating room personnel, who would put them on when sterilizing themselves, or "scrubbing in", before surgery, they are now worn by many hospital personnel.

A man's suit of clothes, in the sense of a lounge or business or office suit, is a set of garments which are crafted from the same cloth. This article discusses the history of the lounge suit, often called a business suit when featuring dark colors and a conservative cut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racing suit</span>

A racing suit or racing overalls, often referred to as a fire suit due to its fire retardant properties, is clothing such as overalls worn in various forms of auto racing by racing drivers, crew members who work on the vehicles during races, track safety workers or marshals, and in some series commentators at the event.

References

  1. Roger (2020-09-02). "What Are Coveralls?". Shop Coveralls. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  2. Roger (2020-09-02). "What Are Coveralls?". Shop Coveralls. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  3. Roger (2020-09-02). "What Are Coveralls?". Shop Coveralls. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  4. "Minister is economical with economic truth". 23 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-01. Retrieved 2013-09-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "SCIENTOLOGY DENIED: CA Appeals Court Won't Help Church in Forced-Abortion Lawsuit « The Underground Bunker". tonyortega.org. Archived from the original on 2015-01-29.