How do you pronounce ne'er cast a clout till may be out?

The recorded pronunciation is /nɛəɹ ˌkæst‿ə ˈklaʊt tɪl ˌmeɪ bi ˈaʊt/.

ne'er cast a clout till may be out

/nɛəɹ ˌkæst‿ə ˈklaʊt tɪl ˌmeɪ bi ˈaʊt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.11 in modern English

Syllables: ne'er -cast a -clout til-l -may be out
IPA: /nɛəɹ ˌkæst‿ə ˈklaʊt tɪl ˌmeɪ bi ˈaʊt/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

Do not change from winter clothes to summer clothes until June, as there is often a sudden cold snap in May.

British usage

Example Sentences

"Leave not off a Clout, / Till May be out."
"There is another ungracious rhyme about this favourite month of the poets— / Till May be out / Change na a clout: / That is, thin not your winter-clothing till the end of May—a good maxim if we are to put faith in the great father of modern medicine, [Herman] Boerhaave, who, on being consulted as to the proper time for putting off flannel, is said to have answered, "On Midsummer night, and—put it on again next morning!""
"Of old it was said,— / "Ne'er cast a clout / Till May is out." / More recently the version is, / "No garment cast / Till May be past." / The advice is the same, but how different the style!"
"The defenses against him [the month of March] should be more carefully watched than those of the depth of Winter. Fires are left to smolder down in the warmth of the day until the house is thoroughly chilled, and a sudden damp wind springs up in the afternoon and carries disease and death into the open windows. "Till May be out, Ne'er cast a clout," is counsel as good as homely."
"In this sense the Boeotian poetry may be taken to have its germ in maxims similar to our English / "Till May be out, ne'er cast a clout," / or / "A rainbow in the morning / Is the Shepherd's warning.""
"Proverbs emphasise the protective function of clothes, which are valued more highly if they protect from heat or cold, rain or sun: […] It was better to wear too much than too little, and one should not be in too much of a hurry to shed one's winter clothes at the first sign of fine weather: ‘Ne’er cast a clout till May be out.’"

Etymology

Ne’er is a contraction of never, while clout is an archaic or dialectal word for a piece of clothing.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /nɛəɹ ˌkæst‿ə ˈklaʊt tɪl ˌmeɪ bi ˈaʊt/
British English: /nɛə ˌkɑːst‿ə ˈklaʊt tɪl ˌmeɪ biː ˈaʊt/

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

cast not a clout till May be out (alternative)

Phrases

one swallow does not a summer make

Frequently Paired Words