bells and whistles

bells and whistles

Additional features, perhaps trendy or fancy ones, that are not required for an object's proper functioning. This darn car has so many bells and whistles that I can't figure out how to open the gas tank! Do you have any cell phones with fewer bells and whistles? I really don't need anything fancy.

See also: and, bell, whistle

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

bells and whistles

Fig. extra, fancy add-ons or gadgets. I like cars that are loaded with all the bells and whistles. All those bells and whistles add to the cost.

See also: and, bell, whistle

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

bells and whistles

You can call special features of something bells and whistles if they are not necessary parts of something, but are added to make the thing more attractive or interesting. A lot of people want anxiety-free products — simple items without lots of fancy bells and whistles and complex instructions. Note: In the past, organs were played in cinemas when silent films were shown. Some of these organs had devices attached to them which produced sound effects such as bells and whistles.

See also: and, bell, whistle

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

bells and whistles

attractive additional features or trimmings. informal

The bells and whistles originally referred to were those found on old fairground organs. Nowadays, the phrase is often used in computing jargon to mean ‘attractive but superfluous facilities’.

See also: and, bell, whistle

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

bells and ˈwhistles

attractive extra features: a software package with more new bells and whistles than ever

See also: and, bell, whistle

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

bells and whistles

n. extra, fancy gadgets. All those bells and whistles add to the cost.

See also: and, bell, whistle

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

bells and whistles

Extra fancy features, extravagant frills. The term dates from the second half of the 1900s, and it may allude to the features of a fairground organ. It has been applied to products, such as a computer or automobile, and also to services. A business columnist in the New York Times, describing Cathay Airlines’s first-class amenities such as a full-size bed and an on-demand entertainment system, wrote, “So what do business travelers have to say about all the bells and whistles? Not a whole lot; their focus is on time management” (Sept. 28, 2004).

See also: and, bell, whistle

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer