Fabric phrases

Posted by ESC on February 10, 2008 at 13:23:

In Reply to: Fabric phrases posted by R. Berg on February 10, 2008 at 13:22:

: : Does anyone know if there is a definitive list of phrases relating to textiles/fashion/fabric/clothing/buttons etc?
: : I'm very interested in the language related to the textile industry, and fascinated to learn about the meanings behind the proverbs!

: I don't know of such a list. A run through this site's Meanings and Origins section would turn up some phrases.

: Talking through your hat; all hat and no cattle; whole cloth; all dressed up and nowhere to go; all wool and a yard wide; lost your shirt; he'd give you the shirt off his back; let the cat out of the bag; just a cotton-pickin' minute - those are a few that occur to me. ~rb

A definitive list would equal a book. A stitch in time saves nine. Cute as a button. Man of the cloth. Clothes make the man. The emperor has no clothes.

See also: the meaning and origin of the proverb 'a stitch in time saves nine'.