proverb · Words worth keeping
Wide will wear but narrow will tear.
Wide will wear but narrow will tear.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Enough room can prevent strain caused by an arrangement that is too tight. The wide and narrow contrast can prompt attention to fit rather than appearance alone.
What the words are saying
The saying pairs width with lasting use and narrowness with tearing. Read as a metaphor, it can encourage leaving a reasonable margin in time, resources or expectations. It does not prescribe a technical rule for cloth or mean that the largest arrangement is always best. A useful application asks what capacity the task actually requires and what pressure an inadequate allowance creates.
Everyday example
A group leaves enough time for a difficult task instead of setting a schedule so tight that one small delay disrupts everything.
When to use it
Use it to examine the fit and margin of a practical arrangement.
What it does not mean
A wider allowance is not always preferable; this is not a material-design rule.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1758 · Wide
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English