needlefuln.
/ˈniːdlfʊl/, U.S. /ˈnid(ə)lˌfʊl/ An amount of thread which can be conveniently used at one time with a needle; a length of thread enough for the purpose at hand. Also figurative.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > other measures or quantities of
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1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Gugliata, a needle-full.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Esguillée A needlefull of.
1719 J. Ozell tr. M. Misson Mem. Trav. Eng. (1896) 89 Nor is it lawful to use the least Needleful of Thread or Silk.
1765 tr. Menander in G. Colman tr. Terence Comedies 391 Covet not, Pamphilus, Even a needleful of thread, for God, Who's always near thee, always sees thy deeds.
1810 Splendid Follies II. 124 I must beg a needleful of thread to tie up my nose.
1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre II. i. 4 She took a new needleful of thread.
1880 L. S. Floyer Plain Hints Examiners Needlework 59 You have at once ready half-yard needlefuls.
1960 H. E. Salisbury To Moscow—& Beyond xvii. 270 They try with all the ability of their clever minds to twist things—just a little. To sow just a needleful of suspicion in the minds of a Khrushchev or a Mikoyan.
1999 Needlecraft Nov. 51/2 As a general guideline, a needleful of thread should never be more than 15in long.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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