>That's a phrase I found myself using the other day. Growing up with English parents it seemed completely natural but then I wondered what does "tatty" actually mean?
>
>The verb "to tat" means to make lace; maybe it refers to a lacy/holey/worn appearance?
>
>Can the English contingent shed any light on this pressing issue? ;)
>
>UPDATE: apparently "tatty" is a dictionary word for "shabby/dilapidated". That was news to me; I thought the phrase was an English colloquialism.

My bet is that it's a regional 'shortening' of 'tattered'. And 'tattered around the edges' is an excercise for the jaw. "Tatty 'round the edges" - not so much.