ProverbWisdomEnglish origin1732

Ne'er cast a clout till May be out

Meaning: Delay removing winter clothing until late spring arrives to avoid illness from unexpected cold snaps.

Origin: Old English weather advice: do not shed a clout — a piece of clothing — until May is over. Some say "May" means the may blossom of the hawthorn, but early references make clear the month was meant. Thomas Fuller's Gnomologia (1732) is the earliest known printing of this form.

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