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.
Dressed to the Nines
“Dressed to the Nines” Meaning
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.
Origin of this Idiom
There is some belief that this saying evolved from the old English phrase ‘dressed to the eyes,’ which had the same meaning as ‘dressed to the nines.’ However when the term was written down as ‘dressed to then eyne’ people mistook it for dressed to the nine’ and that is where the saying came from which we use today.
There is also some speculation that the number nine was seen as ‘perfection’ and so when using the number to describe how someone is dressed, you would be describing their attire as ‘perfect.’
Other Ways to Say the Phrase
- All dolled up
- Dressed to the max
- Dressed to impress
- Well-dressed
- Immaculately dressed
“Dressed to the Nines” Examples
Example Sentences
You would use the term ‘dressed to the nines’ to describe the way that someone is dressed, in this case, glamorously or beautifully. You might hear someone say this when asking where someone is going, for example you might hear something like:
- ‘Where are you off to all dressed to the nines?’
You could also hear the term used to talk about a third person, for example:
- ‘Did you see Andrea this evening, she was dressed to the nines.’
More useful examples:
- Jackie went out dressed to the nines.
- Last year at her party, everyone was dressed to the nines.
- Now, remember the elegant woman, always dressed to the nines, with the infectious laugh.
- The whole family were dressed to the nines when they left for the wedding.
- This guy is always dressed to the nines, because he loaded.
- Two good-looking men around 40 years old, dressed to the nines.
Conversation Examples
To use the idiomatic saying in a conversation, you might hear something like one of the following examples.
Conversation 1:
- Person 1: “Did you see Amy last night at the party?”
- Person 2: “Yes she was really dressed to the nines.”
Conversation 2:
- Person 1: “How does this outfit look?”
- Person 2: “Amazing. Where are you going all dressed to the nines?
What Does “Dressed to the Nines” Mean? | Picture
