Cutty-sark (witch)


Cutty-sark is a nickname given to Nannie Dee, a fictional witch created by Robert Burns in his poem Tam o' Shanter, after the garment she wore. In the poem, the erotic sight of her dancing in such a short clothing caused the protagonist Tam to cry out "Weel done, Cutty-sark", which subsequently became a well-known catchphrase.
She was the namesake of the tea clipper Cutty Sark, which featured her figurehead at the bow. A brand of Scotch whisky is in turn named for the ship.

''Tam o' Shanter''

In Burns' poem Tam o' Shanter, the drunken Tam, riding home on his horse, happens upon a witches' dance. Among the dancing figures is a particularly beautiful young witch named Nannie, "ae winsome wench and wawlie". She is wearing a harn sark which fitted her as a child but is now rather too short for her:
Tam is so enthralled by the erotic spectacle that he cannot contain himself and yells out, "Weel done, Cutty-sark!". The witches are now alerted to his presence and pursue him. Tam heads for the River Doon, because, according to folklore, witches cannot cross running water. He makes it across the bridge to safety, but not before Nannie, the "Cutty-sark", has torn the tail from his horse. The poem ends ironically, with a mock warning to all men of the devilish consequences of thinking about scantily-clad females.
The popularity of this poem was such that the phrase, "Well done, Cutty-sark!", entered the English language via Scots as an exclamation similar to "Bravo!". Literary allusions to the original Cutty-sark abound. For example, in Ulysses, James Joyce writes, "Laughing witches in red cutty sarks ride through the air on broom sticks".