The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (112 page)
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CUT your coat according to your cloth
Actions should suit circumstances or resources. Also common as the metaphorical phrase
to cut one's coat according to one's cloth
.
1546
Dialogue of Proverbs
I. viii. C1
I shall Cut my cote after my cloth.
1580
Euphues & his England
II. 188
Be neither prodigall to spende all, nor couetous to keepe all, cut thy coat according to thy cloth.
1778
Writings
(1936) XIII. 79
General McIntoch .. must .. yield to necessity; that is, to use a vulgar phraze, ‘shape his Coat according to his Cloth’.
1873
Phineas Redux
II. xxxv.
An unselfish, friendly, wise man, who by no means wanted other men to cut their coats according to his pattern.
1951
‘’
Miss Silver comes to Stay
xxxvii.
‘You must cut your coat according to your cloth.’..‘My trouble is that I do like the most expensive cloth.’
1974
Porterhouse Blue
iii.
I'm afraid the .. exigencies of our financial position do impose certain restraints … A case of cutting our coats to suit our cloth.
circumstances
;
poverty
;
thrift
to cut one's coat according to one's cloth
.
1546Dialogue of Proverbs
I. viii. C1
I shall Cut my cote after my cloth.
1580
Euphues & his England
II. 188
Be neither prodigall to spende all, nor couetous to keepe all, cut thy coat according to thy cloth.
1778
Writings
(1936) XIII. 79
General McIntoch .. must .. yield to necessity; that is, to use a vulgar phraze, ‘shape his Coat according to his Cloth’.
1873
Phineas Redux
II. xxxv.
An unselfish, friendly, wise man, who by no means wanted other men to cut their coats according to his pattern.
1951
‘’
Miss Silver comes to Stay
xxxvii.
‘You must cut your coat according to your cloth.’..‘My trouble is that I do like the most expensive cloth.’
1974
Porterhouse Blue
iii.
I'm afraid the .. exigencies of our financial position do impose certain restraints … A case of cutting our coats to suit our cloth.
circumstances;
poverty
;
thrift
cut
They that DANCE must pay the fiddler
Cf.
he who PAYS the piper calls the tune
, where the emphasis is reversed.
To pay the piper
(
fiddler
, etc.) means ‘to bear the cost (of an enterprise)’. The proverb is now predominantly found in US use.
1638
Taylor's Feast
in
Works
(1876) 94
One of the Fidlers said, Gentlemen, I pray you to remember the Musicke [musicians], you have given us nothing yet … Alwayes those that dance must pay the Musicke.
1837
Speech
11 Jan. in
Works
(1953) I. 64
I am decidedly opposed to the people's money being used to pay the fiddler. It is an old maxim and a very sound one, that he that dances should always pay the fiddler.
a
1957
First Four Years
(1971) i.
Laura was going to have a baby … She remembered a saying of her mother's: ‘They that dance must pay the fiddler.’
action and consequence
he who PAYS the piper calls the tune
, where the emphasis is reversed.
To pay the piper
(
fiddler
, etc.) means ‘to bear the cost (of an enterprise)’. The proverb is now predominantly found in US use.
1638Taylor's Feast
in
Works
(1876) 94
One of the Fidlers said, Gentlemen, I pray you to remember the Musicke [musicians], you have given us nothing yet … Alwayes those that dance must pay the Musicke.
1837
Speech
11 Jan. in
Works
(1953) I. 64
I am decidedly opposed to the people's money being used to pay the fiddler. It is an old maxim and a very sound one, that he that dances should always pay the fiddler.
a
1957
First Four Years
(1971) i.
Laura was going to have a baby … She remembered a saying of her mother's: ‘They that dance must pay the fiddler.’
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