cloth
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to cloth: man of the cloth
back-cloth star
An actor or performer who takes the focus of the audience away from the other actors on stage by positioning him- or herself in such a way that the other actors' backs are to the audience. Everyone said after the show that his performance was riveting, but to be honest, I think he's just a back-cloth star. He made it so he was the only one we could ever see! Good luck making friends with the members of your theater troupe—no one appreciates a back-cloth star. That back-cloth star totally hogged the spotlight all night long!
See also: star
be touching cloth
vulgar slang To have a very urgent or desperate need to defecate. (Refers jokingly to one's feces protruding into one's underpants.) Boy, it's a good thing we got home when we did—I was touching cloth on the way here! Much to my frustration, my potty-training daughter only realizes she has to go to the bathroom when she's practically touching cloth.
cloth ears
A humorous name for one who has not heard something that has been said. Primarily heard in UK. Come on, cloth ears, she practically shouted the answer—how did you miss it? Geez, cloth ears, how many times do I have to repeat myself? Don't call me "cloth ears" when you're just about whispering! Speak up!
cut (one's) cloth
To act in accordance with one's limitations, often financial. Primarily heard in UK. You'll go bankrupt if you don't start cutting your cloth. I know you don't want to lay off any of your workers, but you've got to cut your cloth to keep the business afloat. If you want to buy a house, you need to cut your cloth and really save your money.
cut (one's) coat according to (one's) cloth
To shop or act in accordance with one's financial limitations. You'll go bankrupt unless you start cutting your coat according to your cloth. I know you don't want to lay off any of your workers, but you've got to cut your coat according to your cloth to keep the business afloat. If you want to buy a house, you need to cut your coat according to your cloth and really save your money.
cut (one's) coat to suit (one's) cloth
To shop or act in accordance with one's financial limitations. You'll go bankrupt unless you start cutting your coat to suit your cloth. I know you don't want to lay off any of your workers, but you've got to cut your coat to suit your cloth to keep the business afloat. If you want to buy a house, you need to cut your coat to suit your cloth and really save your money.
cut from the same cloth
Very similar in characteristics or behaviors. I hate the snow, but my kids just love it—they are definitely cut from the same cloth. Julia and her mother are cut from the same cloth, as they are both so kind and sweet. Just because they're identical twins, don't expect them to be cut from the same cloth—one is a total tomboy while the other is a girly girl.
cut from whole cloth
Entirely fictional or utterly false; completely fabricated and not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds like it's cut from whole cloth to me. It turns out that the statistics were actually cut from whole cloth—they had no basis in reality. A: "I think she's just trying to garner sympathy at all costs". B: "Yeah, you know, I've wondered if her tale of woe is cut from whole cloth."
cut out of whole cloth
Entirely fictional or utterly false; completely fabricated and not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds cut out of whole cloth to me. It turns out that the statistics were actually cut out of whole cloth—they had no basis in reality. A: "I think she's just trying to garner sympathy at all costs". B: "Yeah, you know, I've wondered if her tale of woe is cut out of whole cloth."
in cloth
Bound in cloth, as of certain books. Wow, this is a rare edition of Wuthering Heights in cloth! Actually, my grandparents have a copy of the Bible in cloth. That museum has a pretty cool exhibit of old books in cloth.
See also: cloth
made from whole cloth
Entirely fictional or utterly false; completely fabricated and not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds like it's made from whole cloth to me.
made out of whole cloth
Entirely fictional or utterly false; completely fabricated and not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds made out of whole cloth to me.
make (something) up out of whole cloth
To fabricate something entirely fictional or utterly false and not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds like he made it up out of whole cloth to me.
man of the cloth
A priest or clergyman. Ever since he was young, John knew he wanted to become a man of the cloth.
out of whole cloth
Entirely from fiction or the imagination, or through complete fabrication; not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds cut out of whole cloth to me. I broke curfew staying out too late with my boyfriend, but luckily I was able to make an excuse out of whole cloth about being at the library.
sackcloth and ashes
Penitence or remorse for one's misdeeds or poor behavior. The phrase originates from an ancient tradition of wearing sackcloth as a show of repentance, and is typically accompanied by verbs like "wear." Darren has been wearing sackcloth and ashes ever since his girlfriend broke up with him for cheating on her. There's no way to turn back time on the way I treated my brother growing up. All I can do now is stay in sackcloth and ashes.
take the cloth
To become a member of the clergy, typically a priest. Fewer young men are taking the cloth these days.
whole cloth
An entirely fictional account not based on reality at all; make-believe. Usually appears in the phrase "out of whole cloth." A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. I broke curfew staying out too late with my boyfriend, but luckily I was able to make an excuse out of whole cloth about being at the library. When my sister refused to go to sleep without a bedtime story, I pulled a tale about princesses together out of whole cloth.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
cut from the same cloth
and made from the same moldFig. sharing a lot of similarities; seeming to have been created, reared, or fashioned in the same way. She and her brother are cut from the same cloth. They both tell lies all the time. Father and son are made from the same mold and even sound alike on the telephone.
cut one's coat according to one's cloth
and cut one's coat to suit one's clothProv. to plan one's aims and activities in line with one's resources and circumstances. We would like a bigger house, but we must cut our coat according to our cloth. They can't afford a vacation abroad—they have to cut their coat according to their cloth.
make something up out of whole cloth
Fig. to fabricate a story or a lie. That's a lie. You just made that up out of whole cloth. That's a lie. You just made up that story out of whole cloth.
man of the cloth
Fig. a clergyman. Father Brown is a man of the cloth and is welcome at our table for dinner every Sunday.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
out of whole cloth
From pure fabrication or fiction. This expression is often put as cut (or made) out of whole cloth, as in That story was cut out of whole cloth. In the 15th century this expression referred to something fabricated from cloth that ran the full length of the loom. However, by the 1800s it was common practice for tailors to deceive their customers and, instead of using whole cloth, actually make garments from pieced goods. Their advertising slogan, "cut out of whole cloth," thus came to mean "made up, false."
sackcloth and ashes
Mourning or penitence, as in What I did to Julie's child was terrible, and I've been in sackcloth and ashes ever since . This term refers to the ancient Hebrew custom of indicating humility before God by wearing a coarse cloth, normally used to make sacks, and dusting oneself with ashes. In English it appeared in William Tyndale's 1526 biblical translations (Matthew 11:21), "They [the cities Tyre and Sidon] had repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
be cut from the same cloth
mainly BRITISHIf two or more people are cut from the same cloth, they are very similar in their character, attitudes, or behaviour. It's often said that London critics are all cut from the same cloth: that they are white, male, middle-aged and middle-class. Note: You can say that people are cut from a different cloth, meaning they are very different. His brother was cut from an altogether different cloth.
cloth ears
BRITISHIf someone has cloth ears, they do not pay attention or listen to something important. We've tried telling the government on numerous occasions but they have cloth ears. Note: You can also describe someone as cloth-eared. Even cloth-eared politicians have finally realised the scale of the problem.
cut your cloth
mainly BRITISHIf you cut your cloth according to your situation, you limit what you do to take account of the resources you have. Ford would be forced to cut its cloth according to the demands of the market. The Government would have to cut its cloth and eliminate programmes which were not used. Note: You can also say that you cut your coat according to your cloth, with the same meaning. Organisations which are supported by the taxpayer must cut their coats according to their cloth.
make something of whole cloth
ormake something up of whole cloth
AMERICANIf someone makes a story or statement of whole cloth or makes up a story or statement of whole cloth, they invent all of it. There are those who say that story was made of whole cloth. It's the biggest journalistic scandal since Jones won a Pulitzer prize for a story she made up from whole cloth. Note: Verbs such as create and invent are sometimes used instead of make. It would not be the first time he had tried to make millions by creating causes out of whole cloth.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
cloth ears
an inability to hear or understand clearly. British informal derogatorycut from the same cloth
of the same nature. 1999 Washington Post The last thing a franchise needs is for the two most important men at the top to be cut from the same cloth.
cut your coat according to your cloth
undertake only what you have the money or ability to do and no more. proverbman of the cloth
a clergyman. Jonathan Swift used cloth as an informal term for the clerical profession in the early 18th century, but it was earlier applied to several other occupations for which distinctive clothing was worn, e.g. the legal or military professions.
out of (the) whole cloth
wholly fabricated; with no basis in fact or reality. North American informal 1991 Ron Rosenbaum Travels with Dr. Death The fact that her murder is officially ‘unsolved’ is irritating, yes, but not justification for creating conspiracy theories out of the whole cloth.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
be ˌcut from the same ˈcloth
be very similar in character, quality, experience, etc: Don’t assume all the women in our family are cut from the same cloth.ˌcut your ˈcoat acˌcording to your ˈcloth
(saying) do only what you have enough money to do and no more: This has not been a good year for us financially, and we must be prepared to cut our coat according to our cloth.a ˌman of ˈGod/the ˈcloth
(old-fashioned, formal) a religious man, especially a priest or a clergymanFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
in cloth
With a clothbound binding; as a clothbound book.
See also: cloth
cut from the same cloth
Similar or the same.
out of whole cloth
1. By means of the imagination or as a fabrication: "Some of her stories she created out of whole cloth; for others she began with an incident Idella had described and then reimagined it into a full story" (Kate Walbert).
2. Out of nothing; from the very start: "The idea of creating out of whole cloth an intelligence network in a country like that is daunting" (Jack Reed).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
out of whole cloth
A fabrication; untrue. From the mid-fifteenth century on, whole cloth meant a piece of cloth of full size, as opposed to one from which a portion had been cut. The term was used figuratively in various ways from the late sixteenth century on, and the current cliché came into use in the early 1800s. Lexicographer Charles Funk suggested that the turnaround came from the fact that some tailors deceived customers by using patched or pieced goods instead of a genuine full width of cloth. William Safire commented that by ironic transference the fabrication (cloth) was treated as another kind of fabrication (a lie). An early appearance in print came in Thomas Chandler Haliburton’s The Clockmaker (1840): “All that talk about her temper was made out of whole cloth. . . . What a fib!”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
out of whole cloth
Fictitious. The most convincing explanation for this phrase deals with Middle Ages tailors who wove fabric on large looms, then cut the pieces into suits and dresses. Garments made from a single bolt of cloth were far preferable to ones made from leftover pieces. Dishonest tailors tried to convince customers that their clothes were made of whole cloth. When their lie was found out enough times, “whole cloth” came to stand for a fabrication, the meaning that survives to this day.
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price