60+ Clothes Idioms

Clothes Idioms

We all know the power of a good outfit. It can boost our confidence, make a statement, and even reflect our mood. But did you know that clothes can also add a touch of flair to your language? The English language is brimming with idioms that use clothing as metaphors, offering a colorful way to express ourselves. So, put on your thinking cap (or maybe your party hat?), and let’s dive into the fascinating world of clothes idioms!

List of Clothes Idioms

Clothes Idioms with Meaning and Examples

Dressed to the nines

• Meaning: Dressed very elegantly or stylishly.
• Example: She was dressed to the nines for the gala event.

Wear your heart on your sleeve

• Meaning: To openly show or display one’s emotions.
• Example: He always wears his heart on his sleeve, so you always know how he’s feeling.

Fit like a glove

• Meaning: To fit perfectly or very snugly.
• Example: The new dress fit her like a glove; it was tailored perfectly for her.

Cloak and dagger

• Meaning: Involving mystery, secrecy, or espionage.
• Example: The spy novel was full of cloak-and-dagger intrigue.

In someone’s shoes

• Meaning: To be in someone else’s position or situation.
• Example: I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now; he’s dealing with a lot of pressure.

Tailor-made

• Meaning: Custom-made or specially designed for a particular person or purpose.
• Example: The job offer seemed tailor-made for her skills and experience.

Old hat

• Meaning: Something that is outdated or no longer new or interesting.
• Example: That style of clothing is old hat; no one wears it anymore.

Buttoned-up

• Meaning: Very formal, reserved, or conservative in demeanor.
• Example: He’s always so buttoned-up at work; he never lets loose and relaxes.

In your birthday suit

• Meaning: To be naked or not wearing any clothes.
• Example: He loves sunbathing in his backyard in his birthday suit.

White-collar

• Meaning: Relating to professional or office work, typically performed in an office or administrative setting.
• Example: He works a white-collar job in finance.

Blue-collar

• Meaning: Relating to manual labor or industrial work, typically requiring physical effort.
• Example: His father worked in a blue-collar job as a construction worker.

One size fits all

• Meaning: Suitable for or applicable to all people or situations.
• Example: The store offers a one-size-fits-all solution to the problem.

Keep it under your hat

• Meaning: To keep something secret or confidential; to not disclose information.
• Example: I heard about the surprise party, but I’ll keep it under my hat.

Off the cuff

• Meaning: Spoken or done without preparation; impromptu.
• Example: His speech was off the cuff, but it was very effective.

Shoe is on the other foot

• Meaning: The roles have been reversed; the situation has changed so that someone who was in a position of authority or advantage is now in a subordinate or disadvantaged position.
• Example: Now that he’s in charge, the shoe is on the other foot, and he’s the one making the decisions.

To have something up your sleeve

• Meaning: To have a secret plan, idea, or strategy.
• Example: I’m not worried about the competition; I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

To have a chip on your shoulder

• Meaning: To be easily angered or offended, often as a result of feeling slighted or resentful.
• Example: He always seems to have a chip on his shoulder; he’s quick to get defensive about everything.

To wear the trousers/pants

• Meaning: To be the dominant or controlling partner in a relationship.
• Example: In their marriage, she definitely wears the trousers; she makes all the important decisions.

To roll up your sleeves

• Meaning: To prepare to work hard, especially on a task that requires physical effort.
• Example: We’ve got a lot of work to do today, so let’s roll up our sleeves and get started.

To pull the wool over someone’s eyes

• Meaning: To deceive or trick someone.
• Example: He thought he could pull the wool over my eyes, but I knew exactly what he was up to.

To have something down to a fine art

• Meaning: To have perfected a skill or activity to the highest degree.
• Example: She has baking cupcakes down to a fine art; they always turn out perfectly.

To keep your shirt on

• Meaning: To remain calm or patient, especially in a frustrating or irritating situation.
• Example: Keep your shirt on; I’m almost finished with this.

To be caught with your pants down

• Meaning: To be caught in an embarrassing or compromising situation.
• Example: He was caught with his pants down when his boss walked in on him browsing social media instead of working.

To put on airs

• Meaning: To behave in a way that suggests one is superior or more important than others; to act pretentiously.
• Example: She puts on airs whenever she visits her wealthy relatives.

To have something sewn up

• Meaning: To have complete control or mastery over something.
• Example: She has the competition sewn up; she’s the best player by far.

To keep someone at arm’s length

• Meaning: To maintain a distance or barrier between oneself and someone else, often to avoid becoming too involved or intimate.
• Example: I keep my coworkers at arm’s length; I prefer to keep my professional and personal lives separate.

To roll out the red carpet

• Meaning: To give someone a special welcome or treatment, often involving special attention or privileges.
• Example: The city rolled out the red carpet for the visiting dignitaries.

To be in someone’s shoes

• Meaning: To be in someone else’s situation or position; to understand what someone else is experiencing.
• Example: I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now; he’s dealing with a lot of pressure.

To put on your thinking cap

• Meaning: To focus and think hard about a problem or situation in order to come up with a solution.
• Example: We need to come up with a solution to this problem, so put on your thinking caps.

To be in someone’s pocket

• Meaning: To be under someone’s control or influence, especially in a manipulative or exploitative way.
• Example: The corrupt politician had the entire city council in his pocket.

To have your work cut out for you

• Meaning: To have a difficult or challenging task ahead of you.
• Example: With only a week until the deadline, she has her work cut out for her to finish the project on time.

To have something on the back burner

• Meaning: To have something temporarily set aside or postponed, often in order to focus on more immediate priorities.
• Example: We’ve had to put the new marketing campaign on the back burner while we deal with this crisis.

To hit the nail on the head

• Meaning: To accurately identify or describe the main point or cause of a situation.
• Example: She hit the nail on the head when she said that communication was the key to resolving the conflict.

To be cut from the same cloth

• Meaning: To have similar characteristics, qualities, or traits.
• Example: They’re cut from the same cloth; they both have a strong work ethic and a passion for helping others.

To be in someone’s good/bad books

• Meaning: To be in someone’s favor or disfavor; to be liked or disliked by someone.
• Example: Ever since I accidentally broke his favorite mug, I’ve been in his bad books.

To tighten your belt

• Meaning: To spend less money or live more frugally, especially during difficult financial times.
• Example: With the economy in a downturn, we’ve had to tighten our belts and cut back on unnecessary expenses.

To be in hot water

• Meaning: To be in trouble or facing difficulties as a result of one’s actions.
• Example: After missing the deadline for the project, she found herself in hot water with her boss.

To be in the driver’s seat

• Meaning: To be in control or in a position of authority or influence.
• Example: With the promotion, he’s now in the driver’s seat and can make decisions for the team.

To have a trick up your sleeve

• Meaning: To have a secret plan, idea, or strategy that one can use if necessary.
• Example: I always have a trick up my sleeve for dealing with difficult customers.

To be in the same boat

• Meaning: To be in the same difficult or challenging situation as someone else.
• Example: We’re all in the same boat when it comes to dealing with the budget cuts.

To put all your eggs in one basket

• Meaning: To rely on a single person, plan, or course of action, which could result in failure if things don’t go as expected.
• Example: Investing all your money in one stock is risky; it’s like putting all your eggs in one basket.

To be on thin ice

• Meaning: To be in a risky or precarious situation, where one wrong move could have serious consequences.
• Example: After missing so many deadlines, he knows he’s on thin ice with his boss.

To have a lot on your plate

• Meaning: To have a lot of tasks, responsibilities, or problems to deal with.
• Example: With work, school, and family obligations, she has a lot on her plate right now.

To have your finger in every pie

• Meaning: To be involved in many different activities or projects; to have influence or control over many different things.
• Example: She’s always been ambitious and likes to have her finger in every pie.

To go back to the drawing board

• Meaning: To start over or reconsider a plan or idea that has failed or been unsuccessful.
• Example: After the first prototype failed, they had to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new design.

To throw in the towel

• Meaning: To give up or surrender; to admit defeat.
• Example: After hours of arguing, they finally threw in the towel and agreed to disagree.

To be on cloud nine

• Meaning: To be extremely happy or elated.
• Example: After receiving the promotion, she’s been on cloud nine all week.

To be a drop in the bucket

• Meaning: To be a very small or insignificant amount in comparison to the whole.
• Example: Our donations are just a drop in the bucket compared to what’s needed to solve the problem.

To bite the hand that feeds you

• Meaning: To harm or show ingratitude to someone who has helped or supported you.
• Example: After all the support they’ve given you, it’s ungrateful to bite the hand that feeds you.

To turn over a new leaf

• Meaning: To make a fresh start or change one’s ways for the better.
• Example: After years of struggling with addiction, he decided to turn over a new leaf and get clean.

To take the bull by the horns

• Meaning: To confront a difficult situation or problem directly and with courage.
• Example: Instead of avoiding the issue, she decided to take the bull by the horns and address it head-on.

To spill the beans

• Meaning: To reveal a secret or disclose confidential information.
• Example: I can’t believe you spilled the beans about the surprise party; now it’s ruined!

To have a lot on your mind

• Meaning: To be preoccupied or worried about many things.
• Example: He seems distracted lately; I think he has a lot on his mind.

To throw caution to the wind

• Meaning: To take a risk or act recklessly without considering the consequences.
• Example: Instead of carefully planning his next move, he decided to throw caution to the wind and see what happened.

To hit the ground running

• Meaning: To start something quickly and with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
• Example: As soon as she started her new job, she hit the ground running and impressed everyone with her dedication.

To be in the dark

• Meaning: To be unaware or uninformed about something.
• Example: I’m completely in the dark about their plans for the project.

To cross that bridge when you come to it

• Meaning: To deal with a problem or make a decision only when it becomes necessary, rather than worrying about it in advance.
• Example: I’m not sure how we’ll handle the situation if it arises, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

To be in someone’s corner

• Meaning: To support or defend someone, especially in a difficult or challenging situation.
• Example: I’ll always be in your corner, no matter what happens.

To have a lot of irons in the fire

• Meaning: To be involved in many different activities or projects.
• Example: Between work, school, and volunteering, she has a lot of irons in the fire right now.

To bite off more than you can chew

• Meaning: To take on more responsibility or commit to more than one can handle.
• Example: I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with this new project; it’s a lot more work than I anticipated.

To have a hidden agenda

• Meaning: To have a secret motive or ulterior purpose behind one’s actions.
• Example: I don’t trust him; I think he has a hidden agenda.

To see eye to eye

• Meaning: To agree or have the same opinion about something.
• Example: They don’t always see eye to eye, but they respect each other’s perspectives.

So next time you’re putting together an outfit, consider putting together a witty turn of phrase as well! Clothes idioms add a touch of personality and humor to your communication, making you a more engaging conversationalist.

What’s your favorite clothes idiom? Share it in the comments and let’s get this conversation stitched up!

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