What is another way to say dressed to the nines?
What is another word for dressed to the nines?
| soignée | dressed to kill |
|---|---|
| in full feather | spiffed up |
| spruced up | well-dressed |
| formal | dressed up |
| ornate | in one’s best bib and tucker |
What does the expression dressed to the nines mean?
to perfection; just right
Answer: The phrase “dressed to the nines” is just a specific application of the Scottish phrase “to the nine ” The earliest written evidence of this phrase appeared in the late 18th century in the poetry of Robert Burns. Its meaning is “to perfection; just right.”
Where did the saying dressed to the nines originate?
The phrase is said to be Scots in origin. The earliest written example of the phrase is from the 1719 Epistle to Ramsay by the Scottish poet William Hamilton: The bonny Lines therein thou sent me, How to the nines they did content me.
Where did the term all gussied up come from?
The expression gussied up seems to have first appeared in the United States in the 1930s. The expression seems to have taken on a new life in the 1940s when American tennis player “Gorgeous Gussie” Moran appeared at Wimbledon in frilled panties. Related phrases are gussy up, gussies up, gussying up.
What is a kit and kaboodle?
kit and caboodle in American English kit and boodle. informal (often prec. by whole) the whole lot of persons or things; all of something. We took along the whole kit and caboodle in the station wagon.
Where did the saying sixes and sevens come from?
The term at sixes and sevens goes back at least to the 1300s. Originally, the phrase was rendered on six and seven, and referred to a dice game where throwing on a six or seven meant risking one’s entire fortune. Until the 1600s, on sixes and sevens meant to take a careless risk.
What is the meaning of hunker down?
Definition of hunker down chiefly US. 1 : to lower the body to the ground by bending the legs The hikers hunkered down under a cliff until the storm passed. 2 : to stay in a place for a period of time The leaders hunkered down at a country estate for difficult peace negotiations.
Where did the word nincompoop come from?
Nincompoop For such a colloquial word, nincompoop actually has a very learned past. Samuel Johnson, the compiler of England’s first proper dictionary, claims the word comes from the Latin phrase non compos mentis (“not of right mind”), and was originally a legal term.
What is the meaning of the word boodle?
Definition of boodle 1 : a collection or lot of persons : caboodle. 2a : bribe money. b : a large amount especially of money. Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About boodle.
Why do they call it 40 winks?
As a blink lasts for a fraction of a second, forty winks take a few seconds. Hence the phrase ”forty winks” has come to mean a few moments of sleep, or a very short nap, especially taken during the daytime, while not in a sleeping position.
What does Bob’s your uncle mean in England?
Definition of and Bob’s your uncle British, informal. —used to say that something is easy to do or use Just complete the form, pay the fee, and Bob’s your uncle!
What’s the meaning of the phrase ‘dressed up to the Nines’?
The phrase ‘Dressed to the nines’ – meaning and origin. What’s the meaning of the phrase ‘Dressed up to the nines’? To be ‘dressed to the nines’ is to be dressed flamboyantly or smartly. What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Dressed up to the nines’?
Where does the phrase ‘to the Nines’ come from?
In his entry for the phrase ‘to the nines’ Fallows gives the example ‘dressed up to the nines’ and suggests that it “may perhaps” be derived from ‘to thine eynes’ – to the eyes. Not bad as a hypothesis, but without any evidence (and I can find none) ‘may perhaps’ is as far as we can go with that.
Why do they call it a nine-yard suit?
The most frequently heard attempts to explain the phrase’s derivation involve associating the number nine with clothing in some way. One theory has it that tailors used nine yards of material to make a suit (or, according to some authors, a shirt).
Who were the Nine Worthies?
The Nine Worthies were characters drawn from the Pagan and Jewish history and from the Bible. This distinguished group consisted of Hector, Alexander, Julius Caesar, Joshua, David, Judas Maccabaeus, King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon. These were well-known to medieval scholars as the personification of all that was noble and heroic.