warp and woof
The essential foundation or base of any structure or organization; from weaving, in which the warp — the threads that run lengthwise — and the woof — the threads that run across — make up the fabric: “The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are the warp and woof of the American nation.”
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RELATED WORDS
arrangement, balance, being, character, coarseness, composition, consistency, constitution, contexture, disposition, essence, essentiality, fabric, feel, feeling, fiber, fineness, flexibility, form, framework
Nearby words
- warning,
- warning coloration,
- warning track,
- warningly,
- warp,
- warp beam,
- warp ikat,
- warp knit,
- warp knitting,
- warp speed
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
warp and woof
The underlying structure or foundation of something, as in He foresaw great changes in the warp and woof of the nation's economy. This expression, used figuratively since the second half of the 1500s, alludes to the threads that run lengthwise (warp) and crosswise (woof) in a woven fabric.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.