Chaps

Chaps (/ˈʃæps/ or /ˈtʃæps/) are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers they have no seat and are not joined at the crotch. They are designed to provide protection for the legs and are usually made of leather or a leather-like material. They are most commonly associated with the cowboy culture of the American west as a protective garment to be used when riding a horse through brushy terrain. In the modern world, they are worn for both practical work purposes and for exhibition or show use.

History

The earliest form of protective leather garment used by mounted riders who herded cattle in Spain and Mexico were called armas, which meant "shields." They were essentially two large pieces of cowhide that were used as a protective apron of sorts. They attached to the horn of the rider's stock saddle, and were spread across both the horse's chest and the rider's legs. From this early and rather cumbersome design came modifications that placed the garment entirely on the rider, and then style variations adapted as vaqueros, and later cowboys, moved up from Mexico into the Pacific coast and northern Rockies of what today is the United States and Canada. There is also evidence that certain design features may also descend from the mountain men, who copied them from the leggings worn by Native Americans. Different styles developed to fit the local climate, terrain and hazards. Designs were also modified for purely stylistic and decorative purposes. The time of actual appearance of the garment on American cowboys is uncertain. By the late 1870s, however, most Texas cowboys wore them as the cattle industry moved north. By 1884, the Dictionary of American Regional English notes use of the word in Wyoming, spelled "schaps."

Chaps (disambiguation)

Chaps may refer to:

CHAPS may refer to:

See also

CHAPS

The Clearing House Automated Payment System or CHAPS is a British company established in London in February 1984, which offers same-day sterling fund transfers.

A CHAPS transfer is initiated by the sender to move money to the recipient's account (at another banking institution) where the funds need to be available (cleared) the same working day. Unlike with a bank giro credit, no pre-printed slip specifying the recipient's details is required. Unlike cheques, the funds transfer is performed in real-time removing the issue of float or the potential for payments to be purposely stopped by the sender, or returned due to insufficient funds, even after they appear to have arrived in the destination account.

CHAPS is used by twenty direct participants including the Bank of England and over 4,500 indirect participants (who process transactions via agency arrangements with direct participants). In its first year of operation, average daily transactions numbered 7,000 with an annual value of £5 billion sterling. In 2004, twenty years later, average daily transactions numbered 130,000 with an annual value of £300 billion sterling. In 2010 there were 32 million CHAPS transactions totalling over £61 trillion, down from £73 trillion in 2008.