coat (redirected from coats)

*close as two coats of paint

Cliché close and intimate. (*Also: as ~.) When Tom and Mary were in high school, they were as close as two coats of paint. All their lives, the cousins were close as two coats of paint.

See also: close, paint, two

coat someone or something with something

to put a layer of something on someone or something. Her manager coated her with grease before she began the Channel swim. The cook coated the chicken with batter and dropped it into the hot fat.

coat and tie

[for men] a jacket or sports coat and necktie. (A respectable but less than formal standard of dress.) My brother was not wearing a coat and tie, and they would not admit him into the restaurant. I always carry a coat and tie in my car just in case I have to dress up a little for something.

See also: and, tie

cut one's coat according to one's cloth and cut one's coat to suit one's cloth

Prov. to plan one's aims and activities in line with one's resources and circumstances. We would like a bigger house, but we must cut our coat according to our cloth. They can't afford a vacation abroad—they have to cut their coat according to their cloth.

See also: accord, cloth, cut

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be all fur coat and no knickers  (humorous)

to look attractive but not really be very interesting or of good quality When he took over as chairman we discovered he was all fur coat and no knickers.

See also: and, fur, knickers

cut your coat according to your cloth  also cut your cloth according to your means

to only buy what you have enough money to pay for Of course we'd love a huge expensive house, but you have to cut your coat according to your cloth.

See also: accord, cloth, cut

on somebody's coat-tails

if you achieve something on someone's coat-tails, you only achieve it because of their help or influence She'd risen to fame on the coat-tails of her half-sister.

sugar/sweeten the pill  (British, American & Australian) also sugar-coat the pill (American)

to make something bad seem less unpleasant The government have cut income tax to sweeten the pill of a tough budget.

See also: pill, sugar

the men in white coats  (humorous)

doctors who look after people who are mentally ill The men in white coats will be coming to take me away if I stay in this job much longer.

See also: men, white