tailor's chalk
- noun
- /ˈteɪlɚz tʃɔk/
- Specialized
:
tiza de sastre
- The white marks from the tailor's chalk disappear when the fabric is pressed.
Examples
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A piece of tailor's chalk is essential for accurate dressmaking.
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She marked the hemline with tailor's chalk before starting to sew.
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I need tailor's chalk!
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She used tailor's chalk to mark the fabric.
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The tailor used a piece of tailor's chalk to mark the fabric for the new suit.
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Before cutting the cloth, he made sure to outline the pattern with tailor's chalk.
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She picked up a tailor's chalk from the table to draw guidelines on the dress material.
Synonyms
A soft white stick used to mark cloth and remove grease stains
How Soft
Surface Forms
Morphology
tailor's + chalk
The phrase combines 'tailor' (a person who makes or alters clothes) with 'chalk' (a marking/writing material), so it literally denotes the type of chalk used by tailors for marking fabric. The possessive+noun pattern and the function (temporary marking) are predictable and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Tailor's chalk comes from how tailors used a thin piece of chalk to draw temporary lines on fabric. Those marks would rub off or disappear when the cloth was pressed, so the chalk was used as a 'temporary' guide when cutting and sewing.