in the altogether

old-fashioned Naked. I keep having the dream where I walk into my high school in the altogether! I used to have a roommate who always liked traipsing around the apartment in the altogether. It was so embarrassing! My toddler hates wearing clothes for some reason. He would just rather be in the altogether all day!

See also: altogether

in the buff

slang Naked. I keep having the dream where I walk into my high school in the buff! I used to have a roommate who always liked traipsing around the apartment in the buff. It was so embarrassing! My toddler hates wearing clothes for some reason. He would just rather be in the buff all day!

See also: buff

landing strip

1. Literally, a long flat stretch of land used by winged aircraft to land after flight. The flight had to circle the airport for nearly 30 minutes as debris was cleared from the landing strip.

2. slang Pubic hair, especially a woman's, that has been shaved or waxed into a single vertical line directly above the vulva.

strip (someone or something) of (something)

1. To remove some outer layer or covering from someone or something, especially in a rough or forceful manner. The incredible winds stripped our roof of a bunch of its tiles last night. I stripped him of his clothes and hurried him into the shower before the chemicals burned his body.

2. To remove, take, or steal something from someone or something, especially in a forceful or brutish manner; to deprive someone or something of something. The authoritarian government has been slowly stripping its citizens' of basic freedoms ever since it came into power. The federal regulators stripped the company of its accreditation after their investigation revealed numerous infractions. He was stripped of his rank for deserting his company during combat.

strip away

1. To tear, peel, or otherwise remove some outer layer or covering from something else, especially in a quick, intense, or violent manner. A noun or pronoun can be used between "strip" and "away." Quit stripping the bark away from the tree like that—it isn't good for it! This treatment strips away the dirt and dead cells from your skin. The doctors stripped the bandage away to check the wound.

2. To remove aspect, trait, ability, power, etc., from someone or something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "strip" and "away." The authoritarian government has been slowly stripping away its citizens' freedoms ever since it came into power. The board of directors stripped the manager's authority away while it conducted its internal review of the situation.

strip down

1. To remove all or most of one's clothing. When I wrestled in high school, we always stripped down to our underwear—or nothing at all—when we did our weigh-ins. The man was arrested for stripping down in a public place.

2. To remove all or most of someone else's clothing. A noun or pronoun can be used between "strip" and "down." I had to strip Daniel down to his underwear in order to wash all that muck off him. The guards stripped down the inmates to check for any weapons or contraband.

3. To remove elements or features until something is in a more basic, minimal state. A noun or pronoun can be used between "strip" and "down." In response to the recession, the government has been stripping down most social welfare programs. As they company has largely just become a step in their tax-avoidance chain, they have stripped it down to a single administrative employee.

strip down to (something)

1. To remove all or nearly all one's clothes, leaving only bare skin or some minimal articles or levels of clothing. She stripped down to her undergarments and jumped into the lake. I had to strip down to my boxers for the physical exam. We all stripped to the skin before stepping into the hot tub.

2. To remove someone else's clothes, leaving only bare skin or some minimal articles or levels of clothing. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "strip" and "down." I had to strip Daniel down to his underwear in order to wash all that muck off him. The guards stripped the prisoner down to his socks to make sure he didn't have any weapons or contraband on him.

3. To remove all of the clothes above a certain point on one's body, typically one's waist. She stripped down to the waist so the doctor could examine her heartbeat and breathing.

4. To remove all of the clothes someone is wearing above a certain point on their body, typically the waist. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "strip" and "down." They stripped me down to my waist so that the chemicals on my shirt wouldn't burn my skin.

strip for (someone or something)

1. To remove most or all of one's clothing for some purpose, task, or objective. I hate having to strip for my physical every year. We stripped for a dip in the hot tub. I used to be embarrassed about stripping for a living, but it doesn't bother me anymore.

2. To remove one's clothing in an erotic manner for someone else's viewing pleasure. She earned extra cash by stripping for wealthy business men in a nudie bar down town. My date wanted me to strip for her, which made me a little bit uncomfortable.

strip in (something)

To add a photographic positive or negative to a composite in order to create a printing plate. A process made obsolete by modern computer software. We were told to strip in a picture of the new prime minister just an hour before the poster was due to go to the printer. What can be done in a couple of hours used to take a couple of days back when you had to strip in every image and piece of text by hand.

strip off

To remove some outer layer, coating, or covering from someone or something, especially in a rough or forceful manner. A noun or pronoun can be used between "strip" and "off." The incredible winds stripped a bunch of tiles off our roof last night. I stripped off his clothes and hurried him into the shower before the chemicals burned his body. You'll need a sandblaster to strip the graffiti off the wall.

strip out

1. To remove some integral piece, element, or aspect of something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "strip" and "out." We had to strip out the power supply entirely as it had been corroded, so it will cost you a bit of money to replace that. Let's just strip all this old plumbing out and fit in a completely new system. If you strip this clause out of the amendment, it ends up having very little real-world impact.

2. To remove or destroy the interior of something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "strip" and "out." I think we should just strip out the entire house and start furnishing it from scratch. The massive fire gutted the warehouse, resulting in losses of nearly $3 million for the company.

strip to (something)

1. To remove all or nearly all one's clothes, leaving only bare skin or some minimal articles or levels of clothing. She stripped to her undergarments and jumped into the lake. I had to strip to my boxers for the physical exam. We all stripped to the skin before stepping into the hot tub.

2. To remove someone else's clothes, leaving only bare skin or some minimal articles or levels of clothing. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "strip" and "down." I had to strip Daniel to his underwear in order to wash all that muck off him. The guards stripped the prisoner to his socks to make sure he didn't have any weapons or contraband on him.

3. To remove all of the clothes above a certain point on one's body, typically one's waist. She stripped to the waist so the doctor could examine her heartbeat and breathing.

4. To remove all of the clothes someone is wearing above a certain point on their body, typically the waist. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "strip" and "down." They stripped me to the waist so that the chemicals on my shirt wouldn't burn my skin.

stripped to the buff

slang Naked. I keep having a dream where I walk into my high school stripped to the buff!

tear a strip off (someone)

To scold, upbraid, or rebuke someone very severely, as for an error or wrongdoing. The teacher really tore a strip off me for causing a disruption in class again.

tear someone off a strip

To scold, upbraid, or rebuke someone very severely, as for an error or wrongdoing. The teacher really tore me off a strip for causing a disruption in class again.

*in the altogether

and *in the buff; *in the nude; *in the raw

Fig. naked; nude. (*Typically: be ~; get [into] ~; sleep ~.) The museum has a painting of some ladies in the buff. Mary felt a little shy about getting into the altogether. Bill says he sleeps in the raw.

See also: altogether

strip down

to remove one's clothing. The doctor told Joe to strip down for his examination. Joe stripped down for the examination.

strip for something

to take off one's clothing for something. Todd went into the locker room and stripped for his shower. All the recruits stripped for their medical examination.

strip someone or something down to something

and strip someone or something down

to remove the covering of someone or something down to the lowest level. The emergency room nurse stripped the unconscious patient down to his shorts. He stripped down the patient to his underwear. He stripped the patient down.

strip someone or something of something

to take something, such as status or property, away from someone or something. The court stripped him of all his property. We stripped him of his rights when we put him in jail.

strip something away (from someone or something)

to remove or peel something from someone or something. The emergency room nurse stripped the clothing away from the burn victim. He stripped away the victim's clothing. Jamie stripped away the old paint from the bathroom wall.

strip something in

to insert something into a line of print by gluing or a strip of paper. You will have to strip the accent in. Strip in a grave accent right here.

strip something off (of) someone or something

and strip something off

to tear something from someone or something. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) The paramedic stripped the shirt off the burn victim and began to treat her burns. The medic stripped off the patient's shirt.

strip to something

to take off one's clothing down to a particular level, usually to one's skin, the waist, or some euphemistic way of expressing nudity or near nudity. Tom stripped to the waist and continued to labor in the hot sun. Tom stripped to the bare essentials and got ready to be examined by the doctor.

in the altogether

Also, in or stripped to the buff ; in the raw. Naked, nude, as in The art class wanted a model to pose in the altogether, or She was stripped to the buff when the doorbell rang, or He always sleeps in the raw. The first of these colloquial terms dates from the late 1800s. In the buff, a seemingly modern locution dates from the 1600s, buff alluding to a soft, undyed leather, buffskin, that also gave its name to the color. The use of raw, presumably also alluding to raw (undressed) leather, dates from the early 1900s.

See also: altogether

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tear a strip off someone

tear someone off a strip

BRITISH

If you tear a strip off someone or tear them off a strip, you speak angrily to them, because they have done something wrong. He heard Nora tearing a strip off a member of staff for not returning the food bins to the kitchen soon enough. The headmaster tore me off a strip for being late.

in the altogether

without any clothes on; naked. informal

1991 Today The mothers…have agreed to pose in the altogether.

See also: altogether

in the buff

naked. informal

The original meaning of buff in English was ‘buffalo’, and it later came to mean ‘ox hide’ or ‘the colour of ox hide’. In the buff itself comes from buff leather, a type of yellowish-beige ox hide formerly used in military uniform, the colour of which was regarded as comparable to that of human skin.

See also: buff

tear someone off a strip (or tear a strip off someone)

rebuke someone angrily. informal

This expression was originally RAF slang, first recorded in the 1940s.

in the ˈbuff

(informal) wearing no clothes: I’m sure I saw him swimming in the buff!

See also: buff

tear somebody ˈoff a strip

tear a ˈstrip off somebody

(British English, informal) criticize somebody because you are angry about something they have said or done: The boss tore all the staff off a strip for using the Internet for personal matters during office hours.

strip away

1. To remove some covering or layer: Most bullies are really cowards once you strip away their tough fa?ade. We hated the wood paneling on the walls so much that we stripped it away and painted the whole room.

2. To take some rights or privileges away: The state strips away felons' right to vote. I had power of attorney over the property until the court stripped it away.

strip down

1. To reduce something to essential or minimal features: The director decided to strip down the production in order to reduce costs. If you strip them down to their bare essentials, most religions really believe the same things.

2. To remove one's clothing: I stripped down and stepped into the shower.

3. strip down to To remove layers of one's clothing until only some clothing remains: The models stripped down to their underwear for the photo shoot.

4. To remove someone's clothing: The babysitter stripped down the kids and drew the bath water. Airport security guards are authorized to detain suspicious individuals and strip them down for searching.

5. strip down to To remove layers of someone's clothing until only some clothing remains: I stripped the children down to their swimsuits so they could play in the water.

strip of

1. To deprive someone or something of some covering or ornament: The tornado stripped the tree of its leaves. The manuscript was stripped of its academic jargon.

2. To deprive someone of some honor, rank, office, privilege, or possession: Losing my job and my house stripped me of my dignity. The officers were court-martialed and stripped of their ranks.

strip off

1. To remove some clothing or outer layer: When the students got to the beach, they stripped off their uniforms and headed for the water. I stripped the blankets off the bed.

2. To remove some exterior coating, as of paint or varnish: I bought a strong cleanser to strip off the grime from the stove. You'll have to strip the old paint off before you repaint that wall.

strip out

1. To remove the interior of something, such as a building; gut something: The new owners plan to strip out the building to expose the original red brick walls and concrete ceilings. This old car can run like new if you strip it out and refit it with a new engine and suspension.

2. To remove some component from a system, such as from a building, text, or calculation: The electricians stripped out the old wiring. The contract lawyers stripped out all references to royalties. The electricians stripped the old wiring out and installed a new network.

in the buff

mod. naked. You can save hundreds of dollars in a lifetime by not buying pajamas and sleeping in the buff instead.

See also: buff

in the buff

Naked.

See also: buff

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

See also: