Word.ws English Dictionary

clogs to clogs in three generations

clogs to clogs in three generations proverb: wealth earned in one generation seldom lasts through the third (grandchild's) generation.

Proverb

clogs to clogs in three generations

  1. (UK) Wealth earned in one generation seldom lasts through the third (grandchild's) generation.
    Synonyms:
    shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations, wealth does not survive three generations, sandals to sandals in three generations, the third generation ruins the house, goon to Grange to goon, stables to stars to stables

Synonyms of clogs to clogs in three generations

Origin of clogs to clogs in three generations

From the common use of clogs by manual workers in north England and following the style of similar phrases which have been attested since 1700. The particular phrasing is perhaps of Lancashire origin. Compare shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.

Questions about clogs to clogs in three generations

What does clogs to clogs in three generations mean?
Clogs to clogs in three generations means wealth earned in one generation seldom lasts through the third (grandchild's) generation.
What part of speech is clogs to clogs in three generations?
Clogs to clogs in three generations is a proverb.

Words near clogs to clogs in three generations in the dictionary

  1. clogmaker
  2. clogmakers
  3. clogmaking
  4. clogosphere
  5. clogs
  6. clogs to clogs in three generations
  7. clogs up
  8. clogweed
  9. clogwheel
  10. clogwheels
  11. clogwood

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: clogs to clogs in three generations (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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