Windsor knot
noun

- a symmetrical necktie knot that is wider than the four-in-hand, made by wrapping the wide end of the tie around the narrow end twice before passing it through the loop at the neck

- a large, triangular knot for a tie, made by passing the wide end of the tie through several loops to create a full, prominent knot at the throat

- a method of tying a necktie producing a broad, triangular knot; named after the Duke of Windsor, who favoured a wide-knot style achieved by using specially thick ties

Merriam-Webster, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Reference

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WORD ORIGIN

The Windsor knot carries a royal name it may not have entirely earned. Edward, Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII, who abdicated in 1936 to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson) was one of the most imitated dressers of the 20th century. His signature look included an unusually wide, full tie knot — but he achieved it not through a complex tying method, but simply by commissioning ties made from thicker cloth than usual. The knot was his tailor's solution, not his own invention.

Admirers who wanted the same look without the custom fabric had a problem. Tailors — most likely in London's Savile Row — developed a new tying method that replicated the Duke's wide triangular shape using standard ties. This technique required wrapping the wide end of the tie through several more passes than the conventional four-in-hand, resulting in a fuller, more symmetrical knot.

The chronology runs roughly: 1930s — Duke of Windsor's wide-knot style becomes a fashion benchmark across Europe and America. Late 1930s–1940s — Tailors develop the multi-wrap method to replicate the look with standard ties. Post-WWII — The knot spreads into corporate and diplomatic dress codes. 1950s onwards — "Windsor knot" becomes the standard term in English. Today — Required dress in the Royal Air Force; associated globally with authority and formal occasions.

The irony is complete: the knot named after the Duke was invented because he didn't wear it.

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WATCH MY TIE

In January 2025, a study of 200 European job interviews found that candidates wearing Windsor knots were rated as "more prepared" by interviewers — before they had said a single word.

That finding would have amused the Duke of Windsor, who never actually wore the knot named after him. He got his wide, commanding look by having his ties cut from thicker cloth. Someone else invented the method that made his style available to everyone else.

What spread wasn't the knot itself, but the idea behind it: that a wide, perfectly symmetrical triangle at the throat signals something. Control, perhaps. Preparation. The willingness to spend nine tying steps on something most people do in four.

In boardrooms, courtrooms, and interview rooms across the world, the Windsor knot remains a legible signal — one that says this person knows the rules, and chose to follow them today. Whether that's conformity or competence is an open question. But the signal still lands.

The study's "so what" is buried in its own finding: the rating happened before anyone spoke. A Windsor knot doesn't prove a candidate is prepared. It just makes the person across the table assume he is. In high-stakes situations — interviews, presentations, first meetings — that assumption can be worth a lot.

What people wear before they speak is the first sentence of a conversation many don’t realise has already started.

Helga & Paul Smith

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QUOTE

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."— Mark Twain

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SYNONYMS

English knot, WINDSOR KNOT, full Windsor, half-Windsor, double- half-Windsor (often used, though technically misleading), Scappino knot, triangular Knot

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, discuss this clip:

“Here’s a nice demonstration of how to tie a perfect WINDSOR KNOT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXJx8j7JpKY “

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