- English translation
Cut exactly to fit the shoulder.
- Literal wording
The shoulder-piece is to the measure of the shoulder.
- Meaning and lesson
The image comes from tailoring. The qabb, the part of a shirt that lies across the upper body near the neck and shoulders, is cut to match the shoulder of the person who will wear it. When that is done well, the garment neither pinches nor hangs loose with spare cloth.
Applied more broadly, the saying describes any piece of work that has been made exactly to measure. Nothing is missing, and no surplus is left over. It commends precision and a proper match between what was made and what it was made for.
- When it is used
Say it approvingly when something has been made or measured to the precise need: a garment, a sum of money, a quantity of food, or a plan that leaves nothing lacking and nothing wasted. It praises exact fit, not thrift or making do with little.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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