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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.
Jun 19, 2019 · I decided to start by interviewing my longtime friend Tom Shieber, senior curator at the Baseball Hall of Fame, who built the Dressed to the Nines online uniform exhibit, including a uniform database based on Okkonen’s mock-ups and drawings, that has appeared on the Hall’s website since 2003.
Apr 8, 2013 · One says that the phrase comes from the nine yards of material a tailor needed to make a really nice suit. A few tailors I talked to, though, say four to five yards of fabric should be sufficient ...
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 ...
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 ...
Apr 18, 2014 · According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded instance of dressing to the nines was in the 1859 Dictionary of Slang, by John Camden Hotten where it states: “‘dressed up to the nines’, in a showy or recherché manner.”. However, there is at least one earlier documented instance, which seems to imply the expression was ...
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Jan 4, 2016 · A search through old newspapers reveals that ‘dressed (up) to the nines’ was not in common usage until the 1850s, and was at first mainly used in Scotland and the north of England. Eric Partridge’s Dictionary of Historical Slang suggests that the number nine has connotations of perfection, perhaps from the nine ancient muses or the ...
