Meaning & Analysis
To alter one's established course of action, behavior, or opinion, as if replacing a script or model ('copy') that one was following.
Insights
Reversal of Opinion
The proverb signifies a fundamental reversal of opinion or allegiance, where an individual abandons a previously held stance to adopt a new, often contradictory, one.
Strategic Adaptation
It describes a strategic shift in tactics or approach in response to new circumstances. This can apply to anything from military strategy to changing one's profession or lifestyle.
Inconsistency and Fickleness
The phrase can carry a critical connotation, implying inconsistency, unreliability, or a lack of conviction. It suggests someone is fickle or opportunistic, changing their tune to suit their immediate needs.
Transformation of Conduct
It illustrates a significant transformation in one's personal conduct or lifestyle, marking a clear break from past behaviors and the adoption of new habits or conditions.
Scribal and Educational Origins
The proverb originates from a time when 'copy' referred to a model of writing or behavior to be imitated, like a student's copybook. To 'change one's copy' was to discard one's guiding text or script for a new one, implying a deliberate rewriting of one's own rules or conduct.
Psychology of Reinvention
The phrase captures the psychological act of self-redefinition. It reflects the human capacity to consciously alter one's principles, lifestyle, or public stance, whether due to genuine growth, strategic adaptation, or opportunistic hypocrisy.
Behavior as Performance
The proverb frames public behavior as a kind of performance based on a script ('copy'). Changing one's copy is akin to adopting a new role, highlighting how individuals adjust their social and rhetorical strategies to navigate changing circumstances or allegiances.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The central device is the metaphor of a 'copy' representing a person's ingrained behavior, beliefs, or way of life. The act of 'changing' it vividly portrays a conscious decision to alter this personal script.
Idiom
The phrase is a strong idiom, as its meaning is not transparent from the modern definitions of its component words. It preserves an older, specific sense of 'copy' as a behavioral model.
Verb Choice
The alternative verbs 'change' and 'turn' offer nuanced meanings. 'Change' suggests a straightforward alteration, while 'turn' can imply a more dramatic, abrupt reversal, sometimes with connotations of betrayal.
Transcription
Quotations
Thus the knyghtes and squyers turned theyr copies on both partes.
We must nowe chaunge our Coppie.
But if the husbande once change his coppie and conditions, lette him bee bolde that she will doe the like.
Yf couetous and worldly, then he turneth his copie, and prattles of sparing.
But beeing old, hee chaunged copie, and writ as violently against it.
Then did my father change his copy, and set up a brew-house.
What, doe you change your copy, now?
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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