NINE TAILORS.
Sir,-"Rob’s" letter giving the derivation of "It takes nine tailors to make a man" was interesting but I am inclined: to think that the saying only came into being as a joke. There are many reasons why, when tailors went from house to house to work, they should have been unpopular with the menfolk, not , the least being that their. tongues may often have been as cutting as their shears. One can imagine the sexton being called from.
the inn to toll the death of the local tailor. (I am afraid my knowledge of campanology is derived from Hood, who probably knew even less thah I do on the subject). There would probably be jocular remarks bordering on the ribald as to how many tailers should be tolled for a tailor till the sexton would declare that he’d give him 9 tailers to make a man of him. In every village whenever a tailor died there would be likely to be hilarious punning on the subject. When we consider the valiant little tailor in Grimm and the four and twenty tailers who went to catch a snail, it looks as if "It takes 9 tailers to make a man" right from its inception was a crack at
tailors.
BEN
(Dunedin).
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19451214.2.13.3
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 13, Issue 338, 14 December 1945, Page 5
Word count
Tapeke kupu
212NINE TAILORS. New Zealand Listener, Volume 13, Issue 338, 14 December 1945, Page 5
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in