muffler had hiked up on his neck

[navi tasan]

He was wearing a maroon cashmere muffler which had hiked up on his neck, giving him next to no protection against the cold.

The sentence is by J.D. Salinger and from the novel Fanny and Zoe.

Franny & Zooey by J. D. Salinger

A novel in two intertwining stories, Franny & Zooey brilliantly captures the emotional strains and ruptures of entering adulthood. 'Lane Coutell, in a Burberry raincoat that apparently had a wool liner buttoned into it, was one of the six or seven boys out on the open platform. Or rather, he...

www.penguin.co.uk

I thought that mufflers were wrapped around the neck. I really can't see what he means. It had all gathered up right under his chin?

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes, though I have to admit I hadn't known of this meaning before.

hike v. intr.

1. to move up out of place or position: My shirt hikes up if I don't wear a belt.

(Random House Dictionary)

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm slightly surprised Rover's not familiar with it - only because we're both BrE speakers. I use it frequently.

Hike your trousers up. They look ridiculous round your knees!
My top hikes up if I wear my rucksack on both shoulders.

 

[navi tasan]

Thank you all very much,

Actually, I just thought hike had been used metaphorically. I didn't have a problem with that!

What I don't get is how the muffler managed to go up so far on the guy's neck so as not to give him any protection against the cold. I just can't imagine the scene. A scarf around the neck should be pretty wide.

 

[Skrej]

It's all scrunched up into a bundle, instead of lying nice and flat like a scarf should. When clothing hikes up (aka 'rides up'), it no longer sits on the body like it should.

For example, I semi-recently bought some new underwear which instead of hanging loosely from my waist like they should, rode up into uncomfortable folds forming bands or rings around my upper thigh. I don't know if it was the material, or the way they're sewn, or what the issue was but I had to stop wearing them and go buy some other brand that weren't constantly hiking up my thigh.

I was constantly trying to pull them back down, which is nigh on impossible to do discretely.