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[krah-VAT] 
1. a wide fabric band worn as a necktie by men, having long ends hanging in front (sometimes worn on formal occasions instead of a bow tie): "Ron carefully tied a cravat to conceal the mark on his neck."
Origin:
Approximately 1656; from French, 'cravate,' from 'Cravate': Croatian; from German, 'Krabate'; from Serbo-Croat, 'Hrvat': a Croat; from Old Slavic, 'Churvatinu': Croat, literally, mountaineer, from 'churva': mountain. In action:
"Men who wear their neckties loose may have a leg up in warding off glaucoma, a group of serious eye diseases that can lead to damage to the optic nerve and loss of vision. Research reported in the British Journal of Ophthalmology reveals that wearing a tight necktie raises blood pressure in the eye, a leading risk factor for glaucoma. But those who crave a snug cravat and are planning a quick trip to the doctor for a glaucoma test should take heed: Donning a tight tie during an eye exam can lead to a false diagnosis of the illness since the constrictive garment temporarily constricts the jugular vein, raising blood pressure in the eye. Yet another argument for casual attire!"
"The Dangers of Haberdashery," Wired.com (July 30, 2003).
"Novelists should thank Gustave Flaubert the way poets thank spring: it begins again with him. He is the originator of the modern novel; indeed, you could say that he is the originator of modern narrative -- that the war reporter and the thriller writer owe as much to him as the avant-garde fictionist...
Flaubert was old by 30, bearish, settled in his ways. Brown, after a tour-de-force description of the trip to the Orient, provides this marvelous sketch of the returned traveler, who had gotten fat on Turkish pastries: 'Wearing baggy Turkish pants, a smock of Indian inspiration, a yellow cravat with silver and gold thread, he looked noticeably older. His hair had thinned -- had in fact fallen out in clumps. His face showed a redness that could be taken for roseola. We know he was drinking syrup of mercury and would do so again whenever chancres reappeared, fearing, with good reason, that he had contracted syphilis. It cost him some teeth, though not as many as his eternal pipe would.' He was an old young man. Large travels were over and the atrocious labor of 30 years would begin, the labor that, in addition to 'Madame Bovary,' produced 'Sentimental Education,' a third version of the 'Temptation,' the exquisite 'Three Tales' and the unfinished 'Bouvard and P�cuchet.' This last work, with its comic catalog of fruitless endeavors, has its admirers, yet it is hard not to feel that here Flaubert's will-to-nullification imprisoned him in tautology, wherein the repetitive exposure of bourgeois stupidity condemned the novelist to a repetitive anthologizing of that very stupidity; 'The Dictionary of Received Ideas,' which rather tiresomely alphabetizes examples of bourgeois clich�, seems at times a joke on Flaubert rather than by him."
James Wood. "The Man Behind Bovary," [Book Review: 'Flaubert: A Biography,' by Frederick Brown] The New York Times (April 16, 2006).
"Branch and Lavigne -- who's rarely seen sans cravat -- make the look unique by getting their ties at thrift stores. 'It's a respectful disrespect kind of thing,' says Cloutier stylist Stephanie Wolf, whose clients include Lavigne. 'Avril is antifashion, yet she's setting fashion trends.'"
Jennifer Armstrong. "Knots Landing," Entertainment Weekly (October 11, 2002).
"Washington, whose appearance marked the first time the military leader and statesman had spoken publicly since his 1796 farewell address in Philadelphia, is the latest in a string of retired generals stepping forward to criticize the Iraq war.
'This entire military venture has been foolhardy and of ill design,' said Washington, dressed in his customary breeches and frilly cravat. 'The manifold mistakes committed by this president in Iraq carry grave consequences, and he who holds the position of commander in chief has the responsibility to right those wrongs.'"
"Retired Gen. George Washington Criticizes Bush's Handling Of Iraq War," The Onion.com (June 6, 2007).
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