What is the origin of the term "hounds tooth"?

It is named "houndstooth" because it looks like dog teeth.

Two photos of houndstooth:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houndstooth

Houndstooth is a two-toned textile design or pattern that consists of small broken or jagged checks. Also called four-in-four check, guncheck or sometimes dogstooth, its origin is likely Scottish. The houndstooth check is formed by alternating bands of four dark bands and four light bands both lengthwise and crosswise in a woven pattern.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-houndstooth.htm


It is reminiscent of the jagged back teeth of a hound..

link http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/houndstooth

Interesting piece of trivia on why we hardly see newscasters wear anything with a houndstooth pattern.

"Moiré patterns are commonly seen on television screens directly when a person is wearing a shirt or jacket of a particular weave or pattern, such as a houndstooth jacket, due to sampling problems in the television camera. As the person moves about, the Moiré pattern is quite noticeable. Because of this, newscasters and other professionals who appear on TV regularly are instructed to avoid clothing which could cause the effect, more commonly known as 'strobing'."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moir%C3%A9_pattern#Moir.C3.A9s_on_TV_screens