Dressed Up To The Nines

When someone is dressed up to the nines, they are wearing fashionable or formal clothes for a special occasion. So in the end, "dressed to the nines" is most likely simply an offshoot of the previous "to the nines" expression, more or less meaning "perfect" or "to perfection." Where "to the nines" came from exactly is a bit of a mystery. The "Nine Muses" origin theory seems to have the strongest case.

But that doesn't necessarily mean it's correct as the evidence is still scant. Yet another commonly put forth explanation we can then safely ignore is that it came from the 99th Wiltshire Regiment. Around the mid-19th century, this regiment became known as "The Nines" and were particularly noted for their perfect uniform and dress. In this case, both "dressed to the nines" and "to the nines" were around long before this regiment earned this reputation.

So it's likely they got this nickname because of the already existing expression, rather than inspiring it. The hitch with these clothing-specific origins, though, is that the simpler phrases "to the nine" and "to the nines" were already used to mean "to perfection" for about a century before "dressed to the nines" came along. Whatever significance the number nine had to warrant its place in the phrase, it doesn't seem to have always been specific to clothing. The first expression is a nineteenth-century Americanism.

1849 ("A gentleman tiptoeing along Broadway, with a lady wiggle-waggling by his side, and both dressed to kill"). "Kill" may allude to the idea of making a conquest, or perhaps it is an extension of something "done to death"—that is, overdone. Dressed to the nines, also put as dressed up to the nines, is British in origin and literally means elaborately dressed to perfection. The "nines" were singled out to signify "superlative" in numerous other contexts from the late eighteenth century on, but no one is quite sure why. Some say it is because nine, as the highest single-digit number, symbolizes the best. Today, however, it is the numeral ten that signifies the best .

Other writers suggest that nines is a corruption of "to then eyne"—that is, to the eyes—but this interpretation doesn't make much sense either. Describing an old department store holding its final sale before closing and lavishly decorated for Christmas, Mary Cantwell observed that "the corpse was dressed to the nines" (New York Times, Dec. 1989). "To the nine" is an English idiom meaning "to perfection" or "to the highest degree" or to dress "buoyantly and high class". In modern English usage, the phrase most commonly appears as "dressed to the nine" or "dressed up to the nine". Very well-dressed and fashionable, typically for a formal event.

I have to be dressed to the nines at this gala tonight—a lot of important people will be there. The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «dressed to the nines» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «dressed to the nines» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day. To be very well-dressed and fashionable, typically for a formal event. If you are dressed to the nines, or dressed up to the nines, you are wearing very smart clothes for a special occasion. It seems that the expression is originally related to the Nine Worthies or the nine Muses.

The current day informal English idiom dressed to the nines seems to have started out in life as simply to the nines. Meaning 'to perfection,' it made its first entry in the Oxford dictionary in this form in the early 1700s and seemed to have come from Scotland, where it was often quoted in poetry. But the reverse problem of dating arises here, in that if it were truly medieval in origin one would expect examples to have turned up before Burns' time. As a result, that suggestion is now not accepted by anybody.

If someone is dressed to the nines or is dressed up to the nines, they are wearing very smart or glamorous clothes. Huge hats, frills, tight dresses, sequins and high heels. To describe someone as dressed up to the nines means that they are wearing very smart or glamorous clothes. List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «dressed to the nines». How can I put and write and define dressed to the nines in a sentence and how is the word dressed to the nines used in a sentence and examples?

Dressed to the nines造句, dressed to the nines造句, 用dressed to the nines造句, dressed to the nines meaning, definition, pronunciation, synonyms and example sentences are provided by ichacha.net. If you read the linked etymology, it is clear that the origin is uncertain. It may be derived from the military, or from something entirely different.

In any event, I've heard and read the expression used for both men and women. It refers to the way a person is dressed, rather that to the fashion itself. "To the nines" is an English idiom meaning "to perfection" or "to the highest degree". In modern English usage, the phrase most commonly appears as "dressed to the nines" or "dressed up to the nines".

If you're going to the party like that, dressed to kill. I'm going to have to change my clothes too for something a bit flashier. Gwyneth, There is a good answer in the Archive to the first part of your question under the posting 'dressed to the nines.' On your second point, this expression is considered a cliché, but not all clichés are created equal. A cliché such as 'no problem' may make you want to puke or scream. Other's such as the one we discussed in this forum just the other day 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' may sum up a situation 'to a T' (a cliché) and is, I think, perfectly acceptable.

And as to your last question, the wording assumes that it was once 'outre' and as I just explained I don't think that is, or ever was, true. Another commonly repeated explanation comes from the exquisitely smart uniforms of the 99th Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1824. The problem with these explanations is that they come with no evidence to support them, apart from a reference to the number nine . The regiment was in business in the early 19th century, which is at least the right sort of date for a phrase that became widely used in the middle of that century. ShabdKhoj - English Hindi Word Search and Translation is free online Hindi to English and English to Hindi translation service.

Best and most easy to use word list available on internet. The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «dressed to the nines» in the different countries. When someone says that a person is 'dressed to the nines' they are referring to the fact that this person is dressed very smartly, elegantly or otherwise in a fancy fashion. You may have heard someone use the saying 'dressed to the nines' during a conversation, you may also have wondered what this term means.

We are going to look at how you use this phrase in conversation and where it comes from in history. It's a formal occasion so we'll have to get dressed up to the nines - no jeans and pullovers this time. It's a formal occasion so we'll have to dress up to the nines - no jeans and pullovers this time.

It's a formal occasion so we'll have to get dressed to the nines - no jeans and pullovers this time. Given the Scottish were apparently the first to use "to the nines" what do they say about the origin? The Scottish National Dictionary proposes that it originated from ninepins- with bowling a nine being a perfect throw, but this origin theory isn't backed by any evidence and on many points strains credibility. In yet another theory proposed by etymologists, "to the nines" is thought to be originally simply a slurred way of saying "to then anes," meaning "for the one " or "for the one ," and it simply evolved from there. I also would say "dressed to KILL" I love this idiom, and the meaning is the same. This opens up the possibilities to a few more proposed origins, but there doesn't seem to be one solid answer.

The "nine" in question could still be a misheard "then eyne" and refer to the eyes. It might also refer to a group of nine, examples of which pop up in myth and history all over the world. In Christianity, the fruits and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are both nine in number. In Norse cosmology, the great tree Yggdrasil unites nine worlds.

In Europe during the Middle Ages, the Nine Worthies were men drawn from pagan, Jewish and Christian history as personifications of chivalry. "The nines" we invoke when talking about a snappy dresser might mean any one of these groups, or something else, but a definitive answer is elusive. The search for the link between 'nines' and dress sense has unearthed no convincing candidates. Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence, but I'll stick my neck out here and say, with this phrase and with the other 'nines' phrases, 'nine' doesn't refer to anything specific - it just means 'a lot'.

There are several phrases of uncertain parentage that include the word. Examples are, cloud nine, nine days' wonder and the infamous whole nine yards. World Wide Words is copyright © Michael Quinion, 1996–.

New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. World Wide Words tries to record at least a part of this shifting wordscape by featuring new words, word histories, words in the news, and the curiosities of native English speech. The big problem with this theory is that the story dates from the 1850s, and the phrase is older. Trying to find another word for dressed to the nines in English?

Our thesaurus contains synonyms of dressed to the nines in 13 different contexts. We have listed all the similar and related words for dressed to the nines alphabetically. The whole family were dressed to the nines when they left for the wedding. Now, remember the elegant woman, always dressed to the nines, with the infectious laugh.

Examples are used only to help you translate the word or expression searched in various contexts. They are not selected or validated by us and can contain inappropriate terms or ideas. Please report examples to be edited or not to be displayed.

Rude or colloquial translations are usually marked in red or orange. The dressed is a later addition, so the nine does not necessarily refer exclusively to clothing. Below are sample sentences containing the word "dressed up to the nines|dressed to the nine|dressed up to the nine" from the English Dictionary.

Since the up can be part of the phrase "up to the nines" the question of whether "get dressed up" exists or not could be ignored, as the up is not related to the dressing directly in that interpretation. Get dressed usually refers to the physical process of putting clothes on - I was getting dressed when the telephone rang. The verb dress can mean this, but it can also include the selection of one's outfit, as in dress to the nines. Dress up means either to dress formally or to wear some kind of costume - the little girl was dressed up as a fairy. I don't think get dressed up is particularly idiomatic.

I wonder whether the phrase " get dressed up" actually exists or not because I can't find any native material including it except some examples written by my country-non-native English speaking country. With the Premium version, you can create word lists and share them with your friends, access all games and quizzes and enjoy the site with NO ADS. Receive the full list of more than 1,000 psychometric words and unlock all learning games, such as grammar, pronunciation, reading comprehension, spelling and custom word lists.

The whole family will be dressed up to the nines at the wedding, I'll make sure of it. Learn a useful expression to talk about a strong connection you have with another person based on shared experiences. "Dressed to the nines" dates from the mid-19th century, and since that time it has become the most frequent construction in which the old Scottish phrase still occurs.

'Dressed to the nines,' it should be noted, was not the original form of this expression – it was 'to the nine,' used by Robert Burns in 1787, and then TO THE NINES, again first used by Robert Burns in 1793. It (sans 'dressed) meant 'to perfection, to the highest degree or extent' and although it is occasionally heard outside of that context today, it was formerly used more broadly than just to dress . The Nine Muses had been for some time commonly referenced by poets with regards to writing. So perhaps these two earliest documented references of "to the nines," in both cases referring to artful writing, hints that the expression originally did indeed derive from referencing the Nine Muses.

Yes, and I would add that in AmE "dressed to kill" is probably replacing "dressed to the nines". Your information about expressions, cliches and idioms is most valuable to me in my study of the English language. Join Macmillan Dictionary on Twitter and Facebook for daily word facts, quizzes and language news.

Definition and synonyms of dress to the nines from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education. The whole family will be dressed to the nines at the wedding, I'll make sure of it. There are at least half a dozen theories about this one.

What we do know is that the phrase is first recorded in the late eighteenth century in poems by Robert Burns. Extravagantly dressed young people outside the Black Cap pub in Camden Town, London.Extravagantly dressed young people outside the Black Cap pub in Camden Town, London. If by any chance you spot an inappropriate image within your search results please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. There are obviously specific signs for many words available in sign language that are more appropriate for daily usage. I'm going to dress to the nines tonight because I'm meeting my boyfriend's parents for the first time.

Last year at her party, everyone was dressed to the nines. I was dressed as Sauron, in his guise as the first Chief Lieutenant to the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, around the time he overran Eregion, killed Celebrimbor, leader of the Elven-smiths, and sealed seven of the nine Rings of Power. They had a sit-down wedding dinner for over 100 guests, which included me, age nine, dressed in a suit I made my holy communion in, which was by then about two inches too short in the sleeve and the trousers. Some entries also address idioms, including "let the cat out of the bag," "dressed to the nines," and "three sheets to the wind," or new words like the verb "to google."