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To the nines. " To the nines " is an 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". [1][2]
A more likely explanation is that the phrase is simply an extension of the earlier phrase “to the nines,” which meant “perfectly” or “the highest standard”. This shorter phrase was in use in the 18th century, before “dressed to the nines” was first used. The number nine has long been used as a superlative in English.
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to perfectionlooking elegant, smart, or flashyto a high degreeto a great extentThe masked ball was excellent. You should have seen the costumes. Everyone was dressed to the nines.Go out and buy yourself a new outfit for Friday night. Everyone will be dressed to the nines, so we’d better look smart.They were all done up to the nines, and there I was in my mother’s old ball gown.Stella hated getting all done up to the nines. She was much happier in jeans and a jogging top.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 Scotla...
Mar 12, 2024 · March 12, 2024. "Dressed to the nines" means to be dressed very elegantly or flamboyantly, often for a special occasion. This phrase implies that a person wears the most fashionable or formal attire possible. For example, if someone is attending a gala event, they might be "dressed to the nines" in a tuxedo or a lavish gown.
Definition of to the nines in the Idioms Dictionary. to the nines phrase. What does to the nines expression mean? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary.
Mar 5, 2017 · The phrase dressed to the nines means dressed very elaborately or smartly. It is first recorded in The Penny Wedding, published in The Herald (New York) of 11th March 1837: A circumstance of a very engaging nature occurred last week at a house in the Broadway, not a hundred miles from the Bowling Green, which almost realized the Arabian tale of ...
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Dressed to the nines. The phrase "dressed to the nines," meaning "dressed in a highly elaborate or showy manner," is a specific application of the Scottish phrase " to the nine (s)." Early written evidence of that phrase appeared in the 18th century, and it wasn't originally associated with one's dress. The bonny Lines therein thou sent me ...
