warp and woof
English
WOTD – 29 October 2009
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Noun
warp and woof (countable and uncountable, plural warps and woofs)
- The threads in a woven fabric, composed of the warp (threads running lengthwise) and woof (threads running crosswise) to create the texture of the fabric.
- (by extension) The fundamental structure of any process or system.
- 2001, Ellen Perry Berkeley, Simi Berman, At Grandmother’s Table: Women Write about Food, Life and the Enduring Bond Between Grandmothers and Granddaughters, page 85:
- The warp and woof of our lives, sensible, sensitive, a veritable 911, she was called upon whenever something went wrong.
- 1907, National Education Association of the United States, Addresses and Proceedings, page 496:
- He unconsciously uses the fitting word and phrase to designate the situation in which he finds himself, thus the fitting word and phrase, the well-chosen modifier and forcible verb become part of the warp and woof of his speech.
- 1857, Hinton Rowan Helper, The Impending Crisis of the South: How to Meet it, page 406:
- … the “manifest destiny” theory that justifies the stealing of all territory contiguous to our own, and kindred topics, constitute the warp and woof of conversation.
Translations
threads in a woven fabric
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fundamental structure
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