whole cloth

whole cloth
whole cloth early 15c., "piece of cloth of full size," as opposed to a piece cut out for a garment; figurative sense first attested 1570s.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • whole cloth — noun Cloth in its full manufactured size (cut out of whole cloth (N Am inf) wholly fabricated, utterly false) • • • Main Entry: ↑whole …   Useful english dictionary

  • whole cloth — (USA) If something is made out of whole cloth, it is a fabrication and not true …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • whole cloth — noun a) A newly made textile which has not yet been cut. Also called broad cloth. Mr. Does account of the accident was made from whole cloth. b) A complete fabrication. A lie with no basis in the truth. The plans for the widget were drawn from… …   Wiktionary

  • whole cloth — noun Date: 1840 pure fabrication usually used in the phrase out of whole cloth < the theory was created out of whole cloth > …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • whole cloth — noun cloth of the full size as manufactured, as distinguished from a piece cut off for a garment or other item. Phrases out of (the) whole cloth N. Amer. informal with no basis in fact or reality …   English new terms dictionary

  • out of whole cloth — phrasal : out of pure fabrication : without basis a tissue of lies made up out of whole cloth Current History * * * out of whole cloth see ↑whole cloth above. • • • Main Entry: ↑whole * * * out of (the) whole cloth …   Useful english dictionary

  • make something up out of whole cloth — make (something) up out of whole cloth American, American if a story or excuse is made up out of whole cloth, it is not true. Yet the explanation was too strange for Joan to have made up out of whole cloth …   New idioms dictionary

  • make up out of whole cloth — make (something) up out of whole cloth American, American if a story or excuse is made up out of whole cloth, it is not true. Yet the explanation was too strange for Joan to have made up out of whole cloth …   New idioms dictionary

  • made up out of whole cloth — (made up) out of whole cloth to be completely invented. The whole article was a fairy tale, made up out of whole cloth …   New idioms dictionary

  • out of whole cloth — (made up) out of whole cloth to be completely invented. The whole article was a fairy tale, made up out of whole cloth …   New idioms dictionary

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