whole cloth

English

Etymology

From whole +‎ cloth.

Noun

whole cloth (uncountable)

1. A newly made textile which has not yet been cut. Also called broad cloth.
2. A complete fabrication. A lie with no basis in the truth.

   Mr. Doe's account of the accident was made from whole cloth.

3. Something made completely new, with no history, and not based on anything else.

   The plans for the widget were drawn from whole cloth.

   • 1883, Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi, chapter 27:

     And, mind you, emotions are among the toughest things in the world to manufacture out of whole cloth; it is easier to manufacture seven facts than one emotion.

External links

• whole cloth at OneLook Dictionary Search