Wycliffe (1382): “in the oof, or in the werpe.”īecause the warp and weft represent the essence of a woven cloth, the expressions “warp and weft” and “warp and woof” came to be used figuratively to refer to anything so closely related as to be inseparable. Here are the spellings of warp and woof in Wycliffe, Tyndale, and the 1611 KJV: Here are the verses in the New King James Version (1982):Īlso, if a garment has a leprous plague in it, whether it is a woolen garment or a linen garment, whether it is in the warp or woof of linen or wool, whether in leather or in anything made of leather… The changing spelling of woof (and warp) can be seen in three early English translations of Leviticus 13:47-48, a command regarding the disposal of infected clothing. This early form of woof appears as oof, ofe, owfe, and oufe before it acquires its initial w in the 16th century and comes to be spelled woofe, wolfe, and, finally, woof. The reader clearly feels that weft is preferable to woof as the term for the cross threads in a woven fabric, but both words- weft and an earlier form of woof ( owef)-appear in an 8th century Latin/English glossary. Together, the warp and the weft (or woof) are the substance of the web thus created. Threads that cross from side to side, over and under the warp, are called the weft or the woof. These vertical threads are called the warp. One set of threads is fastened from top to bottom of the loom. Picture an old-fashioned loom: a large wooden frame. Weaving is the process of crossing threads or yarns to create a woven fabric. The nouns weft and woof are weaving terms.
One dictionary says “woof (sometimes weft)” - suggesting that “woof” is preferred. It doesn’t come up often, but it bothers me when it does: a reference to the “warp and woof” of fabric (either physical or metaphorical) instead of “warp and weft.” I recently saw “warp and woof” in The New York Times. We look forward to their millionth full-length, landing 30 seconds after the release of this one.A reader has a question about the old-fashioned nouns woof and weft: While the hardcore fans, and there are many, will look to any new release and tag it a classic, it’s obvious that Guided By Voices are probably not going to return to the level of majesty present on the seminal Alien Lanes from ‘95 or even 2001’s Isolation Drills, but they are one of the very, very few high-output artists around that continue to produce such interesting, entertaining work. “Even Next” is a minimal and beautiful moment, “Out of the Blue Race” a rock ‘n’ roll weirdo that offers Pollard’s beloved cryptic couplets in typically nonsensical, near-magical style: “Dry his face and get him out of the blue race/He’s finally delivering the paper.” While Warp and Woof may not boast a banger to match “The Rally Boys” from their last double album from earlier this year, Zeppelin Over China, or the majestically dumb “See My Field” (from 2018’s Space Gun), there are golden nuggets of melody and movement that are simply transcendent. It’s a luxurious buffet to be heartily grazed, a pick ‘n’ mix selection that overflows from the peak of the paper bag and covers your shoes in sweetness. “Tiny Apes” is one-minute of bizarro excellence “Blue Jay House” two minutes of addictive quirk-rock and the longest song here, “Thimble Society,” squawks with awkward, juddering, collapsing sound.
This continues here with their usual offering of kaleidoscopic snapshot songs evoking swiftly passing moments of absolute musical and lyrical glee, bafflement and, sometimes, jaw-popping wonder. On their 300th full-length album this month, Robert Pollard’s erstwhile gang Guided By Voices throw out a 126,000 track nonuple album that’s as good as anything, nothing, or maybe everything, they’ve ever released, not released, or even thought about.īut seriously folks, while every album these lovely legends throw out is hailed as a return to mid-‘90s form, their best ever or their best since… their output is actually pretty consistent (or consistency inconsistent if you wanna be that guy).