stick to one's knitting en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) To concentrate on one's own tasks, affairs, area of expertise, etc., especially in order to avoid distraction, embarrassment, or other needless problems.
[A]s sportsmen I think that we should stick to our knitting and not allow economic or social conditions to interfere with the Olympic Games.
1935 October 27, “Helene Mayer to be in Olympics: Woman Fencing Champion Accepts Invitation”, in New York Times, retrieved 01 Oct 2013:"We stuck to our knitting and stayed in one market rather than going for growth," he says.
2001 July 15, Chris Taylor, “E-Grocers Check Out”, in Time, retrieved 01 Oct 2013:Researchers should stick to their knitting, finding cancer cures and discovering new shades of lipstick, and refrain from debunking history.
1975 Nov. 21, "Puritans Denied Drumstick" (editorial), Spokane Daily Chronicle, p. 4 (retrieved 1 Oct 2013)
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sticking to one's knitting | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| attend to one's knitting | alternative | lexicographic | |
| stuck to one's knitting | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| stuck to one's knitting | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| keep to one's knitting | alternative | lexicographic | |
| ’tend to one’s knitting | alternative | lexicographic | |
| tend to one's knitting | alternative | lexicographic | |
| sticks to one's knitting | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Relateds
paddle one's own canoe · ultracrepidarianism
Synonyms
mind one's own business · stay in one's lane · stick to one's last
Translations (4)
pl nie wsadzać nosa w nie swoje sprawy (to concentrate on one's own stuff) · es no meterse en camisa de once varas (to concentrate on one's own stuff) · pl nie wsadzić nosa w nie swoje sprawy (to concentrate on one's own stuff) · fi pysyä lestissään (to concentrate on one's own stuff)