Meaning & Analysis
The act of shaving hair or wool in the opposite direction of its natural growth is difficult, uncomfortable, and yields a poor result.
Insights
Working Against the Grain
The proverb serves as a metaphor for any action that is counter-productive because it opposes the natural, inherent, or established order of things. It warns that such efforts are likely to be difficult, ineffective, and cause irritation or conflict.
Futility of Coercion
It illustrates the futility of trying to force someone to act against their fundamental nature, disposition, or will. Such attempts are bound to be met with resistance and are unlikely to succeed.
Warning Against Contrariness
The proverb advises against taking a needlessly contrarian or oppositional stance in social or political matters. To do so is to create unnecessary difficulty and friction for oneself and others.
Embodied Wisdom
Drawing from the familiar, uncomfortable sensation of shaving against the grain, the proverb uses a powerful tactile metaphor to caution against working contrary to the natural order of things, be it in social interactions, manual labor, or personal conduct.
Psychological Insight
The proverb reflects a psychological truth about human nature: people resist being forced into actions or beliefs that contradict their inherent disposition. It implicitly advises persuasion and accommodation over confrontation, recognizing that direct opposition often creates more friction than progress.
Cultural Parallelism
The existence of parallel proverbs like 'It goes against the hair' highlights a deeply embedded cultural understanding that success and harmony are achieved by respecting the 'grain' of a person, material, or situation, rather than fighting it.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The core of the proverb is a powerful metaphor where the physical act of 'shaving against the wool' represents any action that defies a natural or established order.
Tactile Imagery
The proverb evokes a strong sense of physical discomfort—the feeling of a blade catching and pulling—which makes its metaphorical warning against causing friction more vivid and memorable.
Synecdoche
'Wool' stands in for the broader concept of the inherent nature, disposition, or correct procedure of any given thing, making the specific act symbolic of a general principle.
Transcription
Quotations
For, Fromewarde [froward], signifieth asmuche, as Shorne against the wooll.
To counterfeit the young matron, it goes against the woll howsoeuer wee weare the cloth.
Marcus is shauin against the wool.
It is shaven against the wooll.
Let us turn the clean contrary way, and brush our former Words against the Wool.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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