wool

Related to wool: cotton

all cry and no wool

A great deal of fuss, noise, fanfare, or protestation over something of little or no substance, importance, or relevance. My opponent has been making outlandish claims about my track record so as to foment distrust in the public, but I assure you, his remarks are all cry and no wool.
See also: all, and, cry, no, wool

all wool and a yard wide

1. Of a person, very honorable. Of course Paul reported the crime he witnessed—he's all wool and a yard wide.
2. Of an object, high quality. That product already broke! It's not all wool and a yard wide, that's for sure.
See also: all, and, wide, wool, yard

all wool and no shoddy

1. Of a person, very honorable. Of course Paul reported the crime he witnessed—he's all wool and no shoddy.
2. Of an object, high quality. That product already broke! It's not all wool and no shoddy, that's for sure.
See also: all, and, no, wool

curly dirt

Clumps of dust. Please dust this room, and be sure to get the curly dirt that's gathered under the couch.
See also: curly, dirt

dye in the wool

To stain wool fibers with dye before they are spun into thread, thus making the coloration more permanent. This phrase has led to the idiomatic modifier "dyed-in-the-wool," meaning permanent and or firmly established, such as one's opinions. All of our products are handmade, and we always dye in the wool to ensure that your clothing's color remains vibrant for years to come.
See also: dye, wool

dyed-in-the-wool

Permanent and or firmly established, such as in one's opinions or beliefs. Good luck getting him to listen to your political views—he's a dyed-in-the-wool liberal.

great cry and little wool

A great deal of fuss, noise, fanfare, or protestation over something of little or no substance, importance, or relevance. My opponent has been making outlandish claims about my track record so as to foment distrust in the public, but I assure you, he is offering great cry and little wool.
See also: and, cry, great, little, wool

live in cotton wool

To lead a sheltered life, one devoid of stress and danger. The image here is of being wrapped in cotton and thus protected. Primarily heard in UK. I never realized how much I had been living in cotton wool until I traveled and saw what true poverty looks like.
See also: cotton, live, wool

more cry than wool

A great deal of fuss, noise, fanfare, or protestation over something of little or no substance, importance, or relevance. My opponent has been making outlandish claims about my track record so as to foment distrust in the public, but I assure you, his remarks are more cry than wool.
See also: cry, more, wool

pull the wool over (one's) eyes

To deceive, fool, or misdirect one, especially to gain an advantage. (Likely an allusion to the once-common practice of men of wearing large powdered wigs that resembled lambs' wool.) He tried pulling the wool over our eyes by hiding the profits in separate accounts, but we were quick to catch onto his scheme. Be prepared for your kids to try to pull the wool over your eyes when they're teenagers.
See also: eye, over, pull, wool

slut's wool

vulgar slang A cluster of dust and dirt. Can you believe that people used to call dust bunnies "slut's wool"?
See also: wool

wrap (one) up in cotton wool

To be overprotective of one; to coddle one. You need to let the little lad play in the dirt once in a while. If you keep wrapping him up in cotton wool, he'll grow up too soft.
See also: cotton, up, wool, wrap
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

all wool and a yard wide

Fig. trustworthy and genuinely good. (A description of good quality wool cloth.) Mary's a fine human being—all wool and a yard wide. I won't hear a word against Bill. He's all wool and a yard wide.
See also: all, and, wide, wool, yard

all wool and no shoddy

Rur. one hundred percent good quality. Everything Mary sells is the best there is, all wool and no shoddy. John's a good man through and through—all wool and no shoddy.
See also: all, and, no, wool

curly dirt

 and house moss; slut's wool
puffs of dirt and dust. How long has it been since you swept under this bed? There's a mountain of curly dirt under here! No one's been in this room for an age. Look at all the cobwebs and curly dirt. She was a terrible housekeeper. House moss collected in all the corners of her rooms.
See also: curly, dirt

dyed-in-the-wool

[of someone] permanent or extreme. My uncle was a dyed-in-the-wool farmer. He wouldn't change for anything. Sally is a dyed-in-the-wool socialist.

pull the wool over someone's eyes

Fig. to deceive someone. You can't pull the wool over my eyes. I know what's going on. Don't try to pull the wool over her eyes. She's too smart.
See also: eye, over, pull, wool
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

all wool and a yard wide

Genuine, not fake; of excellent quality; also, honorable. For example, You can count on Ned-he's all wool and a yard wide. This metaphorical term alludes to a length of highly valued pure-wool cloth that measures exactly a yard (and not an inch less). [Late 1800s]
See also: all, and, wide, wool, yard

pull the wool over someone's eyes

Deceive or hoodwink someone, as in His partner had pulled the wool over his eyes for years by keeping the best accounts for himself . This term alludes to the former custom of wearing a wig, which when slipping down can blind someone temporarily. [c. 1800]
See also: eye, over, pull, wool
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

dyed-in-the-wool

COMMON You use dyed-in-the-wool to describe a supporter of a particular set of beliefs or a member of a particular group, meaning that their beliefs or feelings are very strong and will never change. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Labour man so he'll not get my vote. Mr Purves has made Hong Kong his home for the past 38 years but he remains a dyed-in-the-wool Scotsman. Michael is a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist. Note: In medieval times, wool was often dyed before it was spun and woven. This meant that colour was more evenly distributed in the wool, and lasted longer.

pull the wool over someone's eyes

If someone pulls the wool over your eyes, they try to deceive you, sometimes in order to get an advantage over you. I just thought he was trying to pull the wool over my eyes to get a better price. Parents who were mistreating their small children would find it difficult to pull the wool over her eyes. Note: In the past, wigs for men were sometimes called `wool' because they looked like a sheep's fleece. It was easy to pull wigs over people's eyes, either as a joke or in order to rob them.
See also: eye, over, pull, wool
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

wrap someone in cotton wool

be over-protective towards someone.
See also: cotton, someone, wool, wrap

great (or much) cry and little wool

a lot of fuss with little effect; a lot of fuss about nothing.
This expression comes from the idea of shearing pigs, where the result could be expected to be great cry and little wool .
See also: and, cry, great, little, wool

dyed in the wool

(of a person) completely and permanently fixed in a particular belief or opinion; inveterate.
If yarn is dyed in the raw state, it produces a more even and permanent colour.
See also: dye, wool

all wool and a yard wide

of excellent quality; thoroughly sound.
Literally, this expression refers to cloth of the finest quality.
1974 Anthony Gilbert A Nice Little Killing No one will ever catch her…with an alibi all wool and a yard wide.
See also: all, and, wide, wool, yard

pull the wool over someone's eyes

deceive someone, especially by telling untruths.
1997 Spectator On no occasion do I remember Ridsdale trying to pull the wool over my eyes but rather trying always to remove the wool that journalists…pull over their own eyes.
See also: eye, over, pull, wool
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

pull the ˈwool over somebody’s eyes

(informal) deceive somebody; hide the truth from somebody: It’s no use you trying to pull the wool over my eyes; you didn’t go to school again today, didn’t you? OPPOSITE: open your/somebody’s eyes (to something)This idiom may refer to a time in the past when judges and other important people wore wigs made of wool. If somebody pulled the wig over their eyes, they were not be able to see what was happening.
See also: eye, over, pull, wool

wrap somebody up in cotton ˈwool

(informal) protect somebody too much from dangers or risks: If you keep your children wrapped up in cotton wool, they’ll never learn to be independent.
See also: cotton, somebody, up, wool, wrap
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

pull the wool over (someone's) eyes

To deceive; hoodwink.
See also: eye, over, pull, wool
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

all wool and a yard wide

Genuine, not a sham. The expression comes from the yard-goods industry, where a seller would claim that a piece of cloth was 100 percent wool and measured fully a yard, in contrast to inferior material and short measures.
See also: all, and, wide, wool, yard

dyed in the wool

Thoroughgoing, complete. The term, which dates from at least the sixteenth century, alludes to cloth made from wool that was dyed while raw (before it was spun) instead of being dyed piece by piece. The color therefore was “true” throughout, and this concept was transferred to other kinds of genuineness. “In half an hour he can come out an original democrat, dyed in the wool,” said Daniel Webster in a speech (Feb. 10, 1830). It has been a cliché since the early 1900s.
See also: dye, wool

pull the wool over someone's eyes, to

To hoodwink or deceive someone. This term comes from—and long survives—the custom of wearing a wig (except in the British legal system, where judges and barristers still do so). One writer suggests that it alludes to the slippage of the wig of a judge, who is temporarily blinded by a clever lawyer. In any event, it was used figuratively in a quite general way from the early nineteenth century on, on both sides of the Atlantic. “He ain’t so big a fool as to have the wool drawn over his eyes in that way,” wrote Frances M. Whitcher (The Widow Bedott Papers, 1856).
See also: over, pull, wool
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • great cry and little wool
  • all cry and no wool
  • more cry than wool
  • be thrown into the scale (of something)
  • scale
  • throw something on the scale
  • no glove, no love
  • keep it down to a dull roar
  • make a fuss about (someone or something)
  • make about
References in periodicals archive
Rhys has faith in British Wool to drive awareness of the benefits of wool.
>> 'Wool is such a good product that its time will come again'
Similarly, M1 is sheared from Merino sheep and M9 from a merino's lamb while X1 is the wool that is of lowest quality, harvested from the head or under the belly."We sell a kilo of M1 for Sh265 while C1 goes for Sh260.
Shearing a living from wool
PS1, New Look ACCESSORIZE YELLOW WOOL BERET: Be mellow in yellow with this pure wool design that will have you rocking the trend.
Top 10 BERETS
Despite the wool production in the Republic of Azerbaijan is increasing in recent years, there are some problems with its export.
Azerbaijan to export wool to India via Azexport
"It is up to the wool handler to maximise the value for the wool producer and a good wool handler can make a big difference to the wool cheque.
Leanne always ready to roll
Search for Wild About Wool on Facebook for details of how to join in.
Make a crafty baa-line for Spring Wool pop-up market
Wool garments are the most breathable of the common apparel types, absorbing and releasing twice as much moisture vapour as cotton and thirty times as much as polyester.
Merino wool offers natural relief for eczema sufferers, suggests study
He invited the participants to make practical recommendations for development of the wool value chain in Balochistan.
Roundtable held for consultation on wool value chain development in Balochistan
The group were also talked through the promotion and marketing activity of BWMB's involvement in the Campaign for Wool - a worldwide movement which has been instrumental in increasing awareness of the many and varied qualities of wool and wool products which is helping to stimulate increasing demand.
Farmers visit Bradford for education in wool process
BWMB chief executive officer Ian Hartley said: "With exports of British Wool to China now accounting for about 30% of auction sales it is important for the Chinese industry to learn more about British Wool.
Chinese wool industry delegation visits Northumberland hill farm during UK visit; Former British Wool Marketing Board chairman Malcolm Corbett among those to help group gain an insight in the UK wool supply chain
Sheep are mainly kept for meat and wool whereas milk and skin are regarded as secondary by-products.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECTING GREASY WOOL YIELD TRAITS OF BUCHI SHEEP IN PAKISTAN
Old Sturbridge Village historians will dye wool as it was done in the early 19th century -- in kettles over an open fire using natural dyes that produce a variety of colors.
'Wool Days' slated at Old Sturbridge Village
Sindh and Balochistan have rich potential in wool sector as majority of the people in rural areas of the provinces are dependent on sheep keeping for getting wool and meat.
Modernising the wool collection process
Wool prices in Australia are expected to lift this year and early next year.
Low output lifts wool price hopes
POM poms are so easy to make and are a great way of using up leftover wool.
How to make perfect pom poms