My brother informs me that they were called bola or bolo ties or bootlace ties.What the clasp was called he doesn't know !
Mind you it is a long time since he was a teddy boy !
Thanks for that. No wonder I couldn't get anywhere on the net - I was entering liquorice ties instead of bootlace! All it kept coming up with was childrens' sweet sites with ties literally made out of liquorice! I'll keep trying with the clasp thingy now.. Thanks again
Numan, it comes from a book entitled What's What / Qu'est-ce Que c'est (ISBN 2-85620-197-0). Unfortunately, it's long out of print which is a pity as I'd love to get an up-to-date edition (mine is from 1983). It gives the (American) English and French for just about anything you can think of.
Thanks Steve, how interesting. I wouldn't mind a copy of that myself! You've answered a question that's been driving me mad all week! Thanks again. Numan