SCARF has been used in 110 New York Times crossword puzzles, according to XWordInfo. It first appeared as an entry in 1948 with the clue “Official sash indicating rank” and has been clued several other ways, including “Neck warmer” and “Chow down on.” Most recently, it appeared in Thursday’s puzzle, constructed by August Lee-Kovach.

‘Accessory for a soccer fan,’ five letters, SCARF

Colorful scarves are prominent in soccer culture, especially in Europe. They most likely began appearing in the soccer world in the early 1930s, Peter Holme, a curator at the National Football Museum in Manchester, England, told The Times. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that scarf-wearing became a widespread feature at games, Guy Oliver, FIFA’s football historian, said.

Before scarves were prominent in the sport, rosettes, which are decorations made of ribbons, and rattles were popular, Mr. Oliver said, but scarves have since “replaced these tokens.”

It was cold during soccer matches in England, so spectators wore coats, hats and scarves to stay warm. “Woolen scarves in the teams colors were probably first knitted by wives or mothers,” Mr. Holme said. They became “something to wear at the match to show who you supported.” It is only more recently that colored scarves were mass-produced and sold, he added.

England pioneered knitting machines and the use of synthetic fibers, said Deirdre Clemente, a fashion historian and associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “England was the powerhouse of textile production, and the scarf is the physical incarnation of two things that, historically, England does extremely well: produce knitwear and support soccer clubs.”

When they became part of fan culture, soccer scarves were often “made by hand or by local merchants,” Ms. Clemente said. “They weren’t particularly standardized, and the clubs themselves were not often directly involved in the design or manufacture.”

The first soccer scarves were probably just solid colors or striped, but they could be customized by embroidering players’ names, Mr. Holme said. The modern soccer scarf often incorporates a wide range of designs and words. Many of them are now made from acrylic rather than wool, he added.

“There was a shift from simple scarves — often knitted in the two colors of your team — to more elaborate designs that carried the name of your team and other messages,” Mr. Oliver said.

Photographs show that soccer scarves were first worn in Britain in the interwar period, Mr. Oliver said, but fans have always been eager to identify with their favorite teams. The main impetus for wearing scarves en masse “would appear to be the shift in popular culture that happened in the 1960s,” Mr. Oliver added.

“Scarves have long been one of the key pieces of merchandise for football fans across the world,” Jack Boyle, an executive at Fanatics, a sports merchandise company, said.

Now spectators can spot scarves at soccer matches throughout the year and around the world. Fans often buy them after a big win, Mr. Boyle said. The scarf to commemorate Chelsea’s victory in the UEFA Champions League was Fanatics’ best-selling soccer scarf in 2021.“Scarves are one of the most important pieces in the football fan wardrobe,” he added.

Constructor Notes

I think SCARF is near-ideal crossword fill because it’s an easily recognizable word, it can be clued in a variety of ways and it’s not short crossword glue like ERA or EONS. My original clue referenced the less common usage “Wolf (down).” However, I like The Times’s clue better because it paints a very recognizable picture in my head, of thousands of soccer fans creating a sea of red out of their scarves, and it gets me excited for the World Cup this November!