English · Idiom Historical

to have tow on the distaff

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

To have work in hand. He hadde more tow on his distaf Than Gerveys knew.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “to have tow on the distaff” mean?

To have work in hand. He hadde more tow on his distaf Than Gerveys knew.

Is “to have tow on the distaff” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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