Dictionary

measure twice and cut once en · X

Meanings

1. (literally) One should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.
   • Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once." 1872, “Dressmaking”, in Hall's Journal of Health, volume 19, number 12, page 280:
2. (broadly, figuratively) Plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.
   • Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasn’t been able to "measure twice and cut once." 2008 November 9, Hilary Johnson, “Mergers rattle bank relations”, in Financial Week, retrieved 09 Nov 2008:

Forms

Translations (17)

az yüz ölç, bir biç (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · ko 두번 재고, 한번에 잘라라. (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · mn долоо хэмжиж нэг огтол (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · fi hyvin suunniteltu on puoleksi tehty (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · lt devynis kartus pamatuok – dešimtą kirpk (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · fi hyvin suunniteltu on puoliksi tehty (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · tr iki ölç, bir biç (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · ro măsoară de zece ori și taie o dată (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · de zweimal messen, einmal schneiden (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · ro de șapte ori măsoară, o dată taie (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · sv måtta två gånger, hugg en (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · cs dvakrát měř, jednou řež (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · es mide dos veces y corta una sola vez (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · fr mesurer deux fois, couper une fois (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · et üheksa korda mõõda, üks kord lõika (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · nl twee keer meten, één keer zagen (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.) · kk жеті рет өлшеп, бір рет кес (plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.)