Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Just another manic Monday
[Fr., Il faut neuf tailleurs pour faire un homme.] Author: John Heywood "It takes nine tailors to make the man"
Some of you may be aware of this, but before this weekend I never heard this saying. Apparently in some parts of French Canada, U.S. bible belt and the deep South it is regularly said but frequently misunderstood.
What does the saying mean?
Nine women can't have a baby in a month?
don't rush things?
Re: Just another manic Monday
Hmmm. That phrase rings a bell...
Re: Just another manic Monday
One for the suit, one for the hat, one for the shirt one for the......
hint
The spelling of the French "tailleurs" is significant. In my search I've seen it appear as tailors, tellers, taylors, tailiers or probably any variation of the above. One of the answers posted thus far is more accurate than the others.
Re: Just another manic Monday
The answer is a tailor in any of its spellings is a bell. Bill Earl gets the star for his forehead Many people think that it refers to a clothing tailor and the time it takes to move from childhood through adulthood but that�s not the origin. Nine tailors is a sort of census taker in reverse. In certain localities (especially French?) the church had a special bell called a taylor which signified death. A person by name couldn�t be told by bell alone but a church bell rang six times for a woman, nine times for a man, and separately an additional stroke for each year of age. A child of either sex got five. In small towns where everyone knew everyone else, you pretty much knew who it was. If you are familiar with the saying that �it makes nine tailors to make a man� the reference is to a taylor bell, not a tailor craftsman