old school tie

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

old′ school′ tie′, 

1. a necktie striped in the colors of a specific English public school, esp. as worn by a graduate to indicate his educational background.
2. Education an alumnus of an English public school.
3. Sociology the clannishness and conservative manners, dress, and attitudes associated with students and graduates of the English public schools.
4. Sociology snobbishness, clannishness, or extreme conservatism.
• 1930–35

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

old school tie noun

1. a distinctive tie that indicates which school the wearer attended
2. the attitudes, loyalties, values, etc, associated with British public schools