Meanings
- not comparableWith the legs crossed in front of one and the ankles on the ground.
Perched tailorwise on the bed, I myself stared like an owl into the gloom.
2014, Peter De Vries, The Tunnel of Love, page 1263 more examples
Underneath this, when he had a job, my gentleman sat withinside tailor-wise and busily stitching.
1889, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Master of BallantraeWhile sitting on a chair or bench there is no difficulty in holding the trunk erect, because now the hamstring muscles are not only relaxed but further slackened at the lower end by flexion of the knee; the hips will flex several degrees farther here and also in sitting on the floor if the knees are flexed, tailorwise.
1923, Wilbur Pardon Bowen, Applied Anatomy and Kinesiology, page 170His shoes off, and his bare feet tucked under his legs, he sat tailorwise and peered up at the giant.
2012, Max Brand, The Garden of Eden, page 101Synonyms: criss-cross applesauce, cross-legged, Indian style, pretzel style, tailor-fashion
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbWith the legs crossed in front of one and the ankles on the ground.
Origin
From tailor + -wise, referring to the traditional working posture of tailors. Compare tailor-fashion, tailor's bunion, tailor's muscle and tailor-style.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
tailorwise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailorwise
“tailorwise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailorwise. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tailorwise,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailorwise.
Source: tailorwise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.