Meanings
alternative measure twice, cut once · alternative check twice and do once
- literallybusinessOne should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.
Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once."
1872, “Dressmaking”, in Hall's Journal of Health, volume 19, number 12, page 280 - broadlyfigurativelyPlan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.
Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasn’t been able to "measure twice and cut once."
2008 November 9, Hilary Johnson, “Mergers rattle bank relations”, in Financial Week, retrieved 09 Nov 2008
Translations
Czech dvakrát měř, jednou řež
- dvakrát měř, jednou řežplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
Dutch twee keer meten, één keer zagen
- twee keer meten, één keer zagenplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
Estonian üheksa korda mõõda, üks kord lõika
- üheksa korda mõõda, üks kord lõikaplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
Finnish hyvin suunniteltu on puoliksi tehty, hyvin suunniteltu on puoleksi tehty
- hyvin suunniteltu on puoliksi tehtyplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
- hyvin suunniteltu on puoleksi tehtyplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
French mesurer deux fois, couper une fois
- mesurer deux fois, couper une foisplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
German zweimal messen, einmal schneiden
- zweimal messen, einmal schneidenplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
Korean 두번 재고, 한번에 잘라라.
- 두번 재고, 한번에 잘라라. (dubeon jaego, hanbeone jallara.)plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
Lithuanian devynis kartus pamatuok – dešimtą kirpk
- devynis kartus pamatuok – dešimtą kirpkplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
Romanian de șapte ori măsoară, o dată taie, măsoară de zece ori și taie o dată
- de șapte ori măsoară, o dată taieplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
- măsoară de zece ori și taie o datăplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
Spanish mide dos veces y corta una sola vez
- mide dos veces y corta una sola vezplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
Swedish måtta två gånger, hugg en
- måtta två gånger, hugg enplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
Turkish iki ölç, bir biç
- iki ölç, bir biçplan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.
Cite this entry
measure twice and cut once. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/measure%20twice%20and%20cut%20once
“measure twice and cut once.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/measure%20twice%20and%20cut%20once. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “measure twice and cut once,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/measure%20twice%20and%20cut%20once.
Source: measure twice and cut once on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.