dyed-in-the-wool

dyed-in-the-wool
adjective
;d;d-;n-t;h;-;wu;l
Synonyms of dyed-in-the-wool
: THOROUGHGOING, UNCOMPROMISING
a dyed-in-the-wool conservative



Did you know?
Early yarn makers would dye wool before spinning it into yarn to make the fibers retain their color longer, an order of operations still frequently followed. In 16th-century England, that make-it-last coloring practice led writers to draw a comparison between the dyeing of wool and the way children could, if taught early, be influenced in ways that would last throughout their lives. In the 19th-century U.S., the wool-dyeing practice put eloquent Federalist orator Daniel Webster in mind of a certain type of Democrat whose attitudes were as unyielding as the dye in unspun wool. Of course, Democrats were soon using the term against their opponents, too, but over time the partisanship of the expression faded and it is now a general term describing anyone or anything that seems unlikely or unwilling to change.


Synonyms
bred-in-the-bone
chronic
confirmed
habitual
inveterate