dressed to the nines

Unknown; first recorded in the late 1700s.

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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.

   • 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.

• dressed to kill
• Sunday best

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