Another Canadian question!

[dreamer_easy]

Guys! Help me out a little more with some Canadian-picking. Does "in mufti" or "mufti day" mean anything to you? ETA: I mean if you happen to be Canadian! :D

Comments

[svilleficrecs.livejournal.com]

Sounds dirty.

[daylightfire.livejournal.com]

Someone is trying to speak with a mouthful of muffin?

Never heard that expression before.

[wyldemusick.livejournal.com]

"Mufti" is a WWII era term meaning "civilian garb." "In mufti" basically means being on leave in civvies.

"Mufti Day" is casual clothes day at school, though the term has, I think, been replaced by things like "jeans Friday" and whatnot. Kids get to come to school in civvies rather than uniform. I do know that when I was at grammar school, it was all uniform all the time. Bastards.

[wyldemusick.livejournal.com]

Oh, and i should note that WWII era in terms of where I get the mosst associations, but it actually goes back to the 19th Century, and it derives from an Arabic word for Muslim scholar. Originally mufti was the casual dress for officers lounging around being big old poofs in smoking jackets.

[steve-roby.livejournal.com]

I've heard mufti before, but probably in British books. I'm sure a fair number of other Canadians would have some familiarity with the word, but AFAIK it isn't particularly commonly used. I don't think I've even heard military people use it (and both my parents, one brother-in-law, and a close friend are either ex-military or still serving). My dad would just say he's in civvies, though two things to consider are that he was enlisted, not an officer, and he's French Canadian; an anglophone officer might use somewhat different terminology.

Mufti day... that's a new one on me, but wyldemusick's explanation of it strikes me as something that would be foreign to a lot of Canadians' experience. I went to six different schools in three Canadian provinces (both Catholic schools and public schools, the two major mainstream kinds of schools in most of Canada) and never wore a school uniform. In the work world I guess the equivalent would be casual Friday, but I don't know whether that applies to the minority of Canadian schools that have uniforms.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Ta - I've changed it to "civvies".

[dawn-guy.livejournal.com]

Canuck with several ex-military friends. Someone in mufti is a soldier wearing civvies. Among my friends, it's colloquially extended to mean any kind of dress-down (e.g. casual Fridays at businesses), but not widely used among people who've never been in the services. "Mufti day" means nothing to me.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Ah, so it is around! *keeps it up her sleeve* Ta muchly!