bar tack; reinforcing stitch across a seam
A dense zigzag or straight stitch used to reinforce stress points on garments, such as pocket openings or belt loops. The name comes from its resemblance to a door bolt (閂).
I sew a bar tack at the pocket opening.
These jeans have sturdy bar tacks.
Variant spelling with kana for the second element.
Compound of 閂 (かんぬき, 'door bolt') + 止め (どめ, 'fastening, stopping'), from the stitch's resemblance to a bolt.