Ne'er cast a clout till May be out

**shirlthegirl43** · 29-02-2008, 08:24 AM

Remember they saying refers to the hawthorn (or blackthorn) blossom known as the may - not the month of May.

**Paul Wagland** · 29-02-2008, 09:11 AM

And am I right in thinking 'cast a clout' means something like 'take off your jumper'?

**Two_Sheds** · 29-02-2008, 09:14 AM

Clout is a noun, meaning cloth or clothing. So, 'ne'er cast a clout...' just means 'never discard your [warm winter] clothing...'.

The 'till May be out' part is where the doubt lies. On the face of it this would mean 'until [the month of] May is ended'.

The Hawthorn is a common tree of the English countryside, and it flowers in late April/early May. It is known as the May Tree and the blossom itself is called May.

Using that allusion, 'till May is out' could mean, 'until the hawthorn is out [in bloom]'.

Ne'er cast a clout till May be out

**Nicos** · 29-02-2008, 09:47 AM

Now then...my granny told me that when she was a nipper in the 1800's children were often sewn into a type of vest (which was smeared in grease) for the winter months

I wonder if that is was a 'clout' was????

**Flummery** · 29-02-2008, 10:03 AM

No Nicos, that's a Niff!

**HeyWayne** · 29-02-2008, 10:11 AM

And there was me thinking that modern txt sp33k was difficult to understand...

**Nicos** · 29-02-2008, 10:28 AM

Know your roots Wayne...know your roots!

( in more ways than one eh??

**HeyWayne** · 29-02-2008, 10:38 AM

Originally posted by Nicos View Post

Know your roots Wayne...know your roots!

( in more ways than one eh??

Don't! I had my hair cut last night and there was an awful lot of grey on that gown! Unfortunately there is still quite a bit left on my head too.

**janeyo** · 29-02-2008, 12:04 PM

I hope you added it to your compost bin Wayne!

janeyo

**JennieAtkinson** · 29-02-2008, 12:33 PM

Up here its more a case of Ne'r cast a clout full stop!

Anybody remember Liberty bodices? with the little rubber buttons!

**Birdie Wife** · 29-02-2008, 01:11 PM

That's about right Jennie. It's not unknown to get frosts and even snow up here in June and july.... and last summer I think the average temperature was about 10degC, I can remember only one day when it went up to the heady heights of 20degC...

**JanieB** · 29-02-2008, 01:45 PM

Originally posted by JennieAtkinson View Post

Anybody remember Liberty bodices? with the little rubber buttons!

Oh indeed. I wore a vest with a Liberty Bodice over the top. My ex had also worn them and asked me what the loops on the bottom were for. He then realised that he'd been wearing his sister's hand-me-downs when I told him they were for suspenders for stockings

.

**Sue** · 29-02-2008, 08:38 PM

Jennie
Oh yes, I hated the blasted things along with woolly hats that had a metal head band in them - really dug in your ears and having my mittens threaded through my sleeves, looked a right nanah.
And I'm getting fed up with having to retreat to the shed to keep casting off clouts and then having to put them all back on again later in the day. Temperatures are all over the place at the moment.
But not looking good next week, so it's thermals out again.
It's boots I hate wearing, longing to be able to have bare feet again.
Sue

**Norm** · 01-03-2008, 11:11 PM

I understand from THE OLD PEOPLE

I know that goose grease was smeared on the child before the Liberty Bodice was sown on as a permanent fixture from the end of autumn until spring. Then there was the Occupational Therapy of squeezing out the blackheads

. Oh the good old days! Bring on the bad weather I say, I have 80 strawbs to repot in the tunnel and the heating's on

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