Style staple for over 50 years. A timeless classic.

"clothing

and fashion idioms to make your writing more stylish"

Roll up your sleeves
to prepare for hard work
Ex: Let’s roll up our sleeves, everyone. There’s a lot of  work for us to  get through done today.

Dressed to the nines
wearing nice clothes for a special occasion. Refers to a woman wearing make-up and fashionable clothes for a special occasion
Ex: Everyone was dressed to the nines for the graduation dinner.

Fine-tooth comb
if you go through something with a fine-tooth comb, you examine it very carefully.
Ex: Go through your essay with a fine-tooth comb before handing it in to your teacher.

Birthday suit
If you are in your birthday suit, you are not wearing any clothes. Refers to the fact that people are naked when they are born.
Ex: “I didn’t bring my pyjamas on this trip, so I plan to sleep in my birthday suit,” my friend joked.

Dirty laundry
questionable activities that one wants to keep secret. Things that should be kept private.
Ex: My mum said she hates people who wash their dirty laundry in public.

Hot under the collar
very angry about something
Ex: When I rejected my friend’s idea about eating at a fancy restaurant, he got rather hot under the collar.

Off the cuff
if you speak off the cuff, you say something without having prepared or thought about your words first
Ex: He didn’t have time to prepare the presentation, so he just spoke off the cuff.

Hat/cap in hand
being very humble, usually asking for a favour or apologising for something bad you have done
Ex: He was late for our study session, so when he finally arrived, hat in hand, he brought chocolates for everyone.

Thinking cap
if you put on your thinking cap, you think seriously about something
Ex: As organisers of the debate competition, it is time for us to put our thinking caps on and decide the topics for this year.