I have heard this saying over many years, but some folk seem to think that it has something to do with clothing and others seem to think that it has something to do with gardening!!!....do you know what the true meaning of this saying is?
2007-04-16 09:36:09 · 16 answers · asked by Rebel 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
The true saying is
Ne'er cast a clout til the may is out
"May" is referring to May Blossom and not the month of May.
People usually think it means that the month of May is relevant as it is when the weather becomes warmer, but in fact the reference is to the hawthorne tree, or may bush..... which usually has new leaves in April, and is a good indicator that warm weather is on it's way!!
see the link below:
http://www.frostatmidnight.co.uk/Plants.htm
Your timing on this struck me as quite funny, as I was discussing this very saying, with a friend at the weekend...!
2007-04-16 15:43:17 · answer #1 · answered by Jules 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sorry folks to burst your balloons, but it relates, in fact, to the MONTH of May and complete is:
"Button to chin, till May be in,
Cast not a clout till May be out"
also:
The wind at North and East
Was never good for man nor beast
So never think to cast a clout
Until the month of May be out
It was a warning that although the April and the month of May can seem to herald warmer weather, there are often cold snaps and heavy frosts right into May so one should refrain from shedding warmer clothing until one is into June. In Spain, the expression is ‘Hasta el cuarenta de mayo no te quites el sayo‘, "Don't remove your coat until the 40th of May" (10th June)
2014-05-31 04:11:40 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was brought up with this one. You didn't stop wearing a vest until after the May blossom (hawthorn) was out in the hedgerows. Clout is an old word for cloth or clothing.
In the south of England, hawthorn does tend to bloom in May, which is why it is called May blossom.
One for the month of May was: March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.
2007-04-17 11:39:30 · answer #3 · answered by LadyOok 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don`t take off your liberty bodice off until after May. To all of you too young to remember a liberty bodice, it was a short thick vest with rubber buttons worn under your vest to keep your chest warm in the days before central heating.
2007-04-16 10:05:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have heard this and we were told it means dont stop wearing your vest until May is out meaning all the cold weather hasnt finished!
2007-04-16 09:39:53 · answer #5 · answered by babscabs 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I heard somewhere that it refers to may, the flower, rather than May, the month. Hence the gardening.
2007-04-16 09:51:33 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think it has to do with livestock, a clout was like a diper in the old days, and livestock usually give birth up through may.
2007-04-16 09:43:46 · answer #7 · answered by thephoneguy1234 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's an old warning not to shed winter clothing too early in the year.
2007-04-16 09:40:04 · answer #8 · answered by JJ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My Gran used to say it when she was referring to her warm clothing.
She used to say that the weather could not be guaranteed to remain warm until at least the end of May, and that you should keep your woolly jumpers still handy.
2007-04-16 09:41:00 · answer #9 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't take your coat off until the end of May.
It concerns the unpredictability of May weather.
If you followed that advice today you probably would have fainted...
2007-04-16 09:40:17 · answer #10 · answered by idler22 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋