dressed to the nines

English

Etymology

From dressed +‎ to the nines; first recorded in the 1800s.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

dressed to the nines (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) Very fancily or formally dressed; wearing very showy or splendid clothing.

   He arrived at the gala, dressed to the nines in his top hat and tails.

   • 1846, Alexander Kerr Bonn, An Original, Laughable and Comical Tale of Hughie Morrison, the Scottish Emigrant, page 20:

     During the early part of the day he took a stroll in the vicinity of "Fell's Point," dressed to the nines, with his cravat, and pin, and shirt collar neatly folded over.

   • 1976, Tim Rice, Don't Cry For Me Argentina:

     All you will see is a girl you once knew, although she's dressed up to the nines, at sixes and sevens with you.

Translations

very fancily or formally dressed

• Catalan: anar de vint-i-un botó
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 盛装打扮

• Dutch: op zijn paasbest
• Finnish: viimeisen päälle, pukeutuneena (fi)
• French: sur son trente et un (fr), tiré à quatre épingles (fr)
• Hungarian: kicsípi magát (hu)
• Icelandic: vel til fara
• Irish: pioctha péacach
• Italian: vestito di tutto punto
• Polish: elegancko ubrany
• Russian: разодетый в пух и прах (razodetyj v pux i prax), расфуфыренный (ru) (rasfufyrennyj), одетый с иголочки (odetyj s igoločki)
• Scottish Gaelic: air èideadh gu spaideil
• Spanish: de punta en blanco, hecho un brazo de mar, de tiros largos, de oro y azul
• Walloon: riletchî come on vea k' a deus meres (wa), so s' cwarante-set (wa)

See also

• dressed to kill
• Sunday best
• to the nines

References

• Michael Quinion (2004) “Dressed to the nines”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.
• Today I Found Out - Where the Expression 'Dressed to the Nines' Came From