dress (redirected from dresses up)

*(all) dressed up

dressed in one's best clothes; dressed formally. (*Typically: be ~; get ~; get someone ~.) I really hate to get all dressed up just to go somewhere to eat.

See also: up

all dressed up and nowhere to go and all dressed up with nowhere to go completely ready for something

that has been postponed or has failed to materialize. (May be literal or figurative.) Tom: I just heard that your company is closed today. Fred: Gee, I'm all dressed up and nowhere to go. The space shot was cancelled, so all the astronauts are all dressed up with nowhere to go.

See also: and, nowhere, up

dress ( oneself ) up

to dress in fancy dress. They dressed themselves up in their finest. Please dress up for the dance.

See also: up

dress (up) as someone or something

to dress in the manner of someone or something. l am going to dress up as a ghost for Halloween. Larry will dress up as the pumpkin from Cinderella.

dress someone or something up

to make someone or something appear fancier than is actually so. The publicity specialist dressed the actress up a lot. They dressed up the hall so it looked like a ballroom.

See also: up

dress someone or something up (in something)

to clothe, decorate, or ornament someone or something in something. She dressed her dolls up in special clothing. She dressed up her dolls in tiny outfits.

See also: up

dress someone down

to bawl someone out; to give someone a good scolding. The drill sergeant dressed down the entire squadron for failing inspection. I'm really late. I know my parents will dress me down when I get home.

dress someone up (as someone or something )

to dress someone to look like or impersonate someone or something. She dressed her little girl up as a witch for Halloween. She dressed up her little girl as a fairy.

See also: up

dress for someone

to clothe oneself to please someone. I don't dress for you! Don't tell me how I should look! Sally says she dresses for her friends, but she really dresses for herself.

dress for something

to clothe oneself suitably for some occasion or activity, or for success. Finally, I learned to dress for success. I can wear my tuxedo if you want me to dress for the formal dinner.

dressed to kill and dressed (up) fit to kill

Fig. dressed in fancy or stylish clothes. (See also dressed (up) fit to kill.) Wow, look at Sally! She's really dressed to kill. A person doesn't go on vacation dressed to kill. When Joe came to pick Mary up for the movie, he was dressed up fit to kill and carrying a dozen roses.

See also: kill

dressed to the nines and dressed to the teeth

Fig. dressed very stylishly with nothing overlooked. She showed up for the picnic dressed to the nines. Clare is usually dressed to the teeth in order to impress people.

See also: nine

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be all dressed up and/with nowhere to go

to be dressed and ready to go somewhere nice, but not have anywhere to go Rob rang up and said he had to work late, so there I was, all dressed up with nowhere to go.

See also: and, nowhere, up

be dressed to kill

to be wearing clothes which are intended to make people sexually attracted to you Rosie emerged from the house, dressed to kill and clutching a bottle of champagne.

See also: kill

be dressed up to the nines  (informal)

to be wearing very fashionable or formal clothes for a special occasion They must have been on their way to a wedding or something. They were dressed up to the nines.

See done up up like a dog's dinner

See also: nine, up

done up/dressed up like a dog's dinner  (British & Australian)

wearing clothes which make you look silly when you have tried to dress for a formal occasion There she was, all dressed up like a dog's dinner, in a ridiculous frilly shirt and a skirt that was far too short.

See also: dinner, done, like, up

First in, best dressed.  (Australian)

something that you say which means that the first people to do something will get something first or will have an advantage I've got ten free tickets to the movies to hand out, so it's first in, best dressed.

See also: best, first

mutton dressed (up) as lamb  (British informal)

an offensive way of saying that a woman is dressed in a style that is more suitable for a much younger woman Do you think this skirt is too short? I don't want to look like mutton dressed as lamb.

See also: lamb

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dress somebody down also dress down somebody

to tell someone angrily what they have done wrong She dressed him down in front of a large group of his co-workers. He dresses down players on their performance in the games.

dress something up also dress up something

to make something look better or different than it really is No matter how you dress it up, the fact is that we lost. His business record is a string of failures dressed up as successes.

Usage notes: often followed by as, as in the second example

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of dress up (to wear more formal clothes)

See also: up

dress down

to wear informal clothes I dress down if I know I'm just going to be moving boxes of documents at work.

Usage notes: often said about wearing informal clothes at work

dressed to kill

wearing clothes that are intended to make people notice you The crowd was young, hip, and dressed to kill.

See also: kill

dressed to the nines

wearing very fashionable or expensive clothes The door opened to reveal a small woman, dressed to the nines for an evening of partying.

See also: nine