A front-laced shoe in which the quarters meet and the vamp is stitched at the front of the throat. Bal is short for "Balmoral", the Scottish castle where this style was first introduced.

(n) a sturdy laced walking shoe(n) a brimless dark blue Scottish cap with a flat top and a plume on one side

Balmorals (or Bal in the United States) are shoes with closed lacing. This is where the two sides of the upper are sewn under the front of the shoe. Balmoral shoes are considered to be dressier than their dress-shoe cousins, Bluchers and Jerseys. In the United States, the term Balmoral is also interchangeable with Oxford when referring to shoes.

A Scottish cap with a flat top and a plume but no brim; a bluebonnet A heavy walking shoe * George Eliot *: A man who uses his balmorals to tread on your toes.