What is the origin of dyed in the wool?
Etymology. From the past participle of dye in the wool. The expression comes from the fact that fabric can be dyed in a number of ways. The woven fabric may be dyed after it is complete, or the threads may be dyed before they are woven.
What is the meaning of the idiom dyed in the wool?
adjective [ADJECTIVE noun] If you use dyed-in-the-wool to describe someone or their beliefs, you are saying that they have very strong opinions about something, which they refuse to change.
Is it died in the wool or dyed in the wool?
When referring to something that is thoroughgoing or uncompromising, the phrase ‘dyed in the wool’ is the correct spelling. “Died in the wool” is incorrect and should not be used in written English. The word used to be an entire phrase but it is now in the dictionary as one hyphenated word.
What does dyed in the Tweed mean?
If someone is dyed-in-the-wool, or has dyed-in-the-wool opinions, they hold those opinions strongly and will not change them: He’s a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist where cooking is concerned – he doesn’t allow any modern gadgets in the kitchen. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Strong-willed.
Is dyed in the wool hyphenated?
The phrase is usually hyphenated, especially when it comes before what it modifies (e.g., he is a dyed-in-the-wool Yankees fanatic), but it can go unhyphenated when it comes after what it modifies (e.g., as a Yankees fanatic, he is dyed in the wool). Died in the wool appears occasionally.
What does eat a humble pie mean?
Definition of eat humble pie : to admit that one was wrong or accept that one has been defeated They had to eat humble pie when the rumors they were spreading were proved false.
Why did they soak wool in urine?
Fulling, also known as tucking or walking (Scots: waukin, hence often spelled waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and to make it thicker.
Do they still use urine to make tweed?
Originally this was done by literally ‘walking’ (i.e. treading) the fabric in water, perhaps treated with a proportion of urine for its ammonia as a cleansing agent. But don’t worry, nowadays the process involves nothing more than pure water.
What does toe the line?
Meet a standard, abide by the rules, as in The new director will make us toe the line, I’m sure, or At daycare Brian has to toe the mark, but at home his mother’s quite lenient. This idiom refers to runners in a race placing their toes on the starting line and not moving until the starting signal.