All Wool and a Yard Wide In english explanation

The meaning, explanation, definition and origin of the idiom/phrase "All Wool and a Yard Wide", English Idiom Dictionary ( also found in Vietnamese )

author Zesty Y calendar 2022-01-12 03:01

Meaning of All Wool and a Yard Wide

All Wool and a Yard Wide phrase

If someone is all wool and a yard wide, he/she is friendly, sincere, honest, and reliable.
 

I don't think he plays with you just because you're rich. He is all wool and a yard wide.

A: Do you think that we can count on Mary? B: Yes, definitely. She is all wool and a yard wide.

If something is all wool and a yard wide, it is very good, well-made, etc.
 

I bought this shirt ten years ago, and until now, it is not worn-out yet. I have to say that it's all wool and a yard wide.

He thinks that cheap phones bought online are not all wool and a yard wide.

Other phrases about:

Give the benefit of the doubt

To decide to believe someone‘s saying although they may not tell the truth

(as) gentle as a lamb

Used to describe someone kind, calm and pleasant

Copper-bottomed

trustworthy, stable, unlikely to fail

bona fide

1. To be real or genuine
2. To have goodwill 
 

(as) honest as the day is long

If you describe someone as honest as the day is long, you mean that she/he is very honest and reliable. 

Origin of All Wool and a Yard Wide

This phrase has an interesting origin in that each part – “all wool” and “a yard wide” – may have originated as separate expressions.
"All wool" became popular during the American Civil War, and it referred to something that was high in quality. This is because soldiers’ uniforms were made of mixed materials. If a uniform was "all wool," it was good quality. This phrase was then used to refer to anything that was considered good quality.
"A yard" wide was also used in this context, and it literally referred to the width of the cloth used to make the Civil War uniforms. A single piece of wool used to make clothing was a yard wide; shabbier uniforms were sometimes made of pieces that were not a full yard wide.
It is thought that the full idiom "all wool and a yard wide" was first coined in the 1880s, although there is little information about its first appearance in print. How and why the idiom evolved to refer to people who are genuine or kind is unclear.

The Origin Cited: writingexplained.org .
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