Idioms are one of the most misunderstood literary devices by non-native English speakers. That’s because an idiom is a culture-specific phrase which has a meaning different from the words used.
Idioms are the key to expressing ideas the way native English speakers do, and using idioms appropriately makes your writing more evocative. Idioms can be based around lots of different concepts, such as food, money, and clothes. In this article, you’ll learn to expand your vocabulary with 20+ idioms based around clothing.
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What are Idioms With Clothes?
Idioms with clothes are very common, since clothing is universal to daily life. There are also many different articles of clothing, which means the range of idioms with clothes can cover tons of different concepts and sentiments.
Idioms with clothes can involve specific articles of clothing, or more general terms like “dress” and “style”. Clothing idioms are also a great illustration of the way that cultures share these concepts, even when the words change. Look at idioms like “Don’t get your knickers in a twist”, which is in UK English, and “Don’t get your undies in a twist”, which is in US English. Both idioms with clothes mean the same thing (“Don’t overreact”), only with the word for “underwear” replaced.
Let’s explore and analyze the most commonly used idioms with clothes.
List of Popular Idioms With Clothes
The most widely-used idioms with clothes are based on items of clothing that everyone around the world wears, like shirts, shoes, and pants. Sayings that do not reference specifics articles of clothing are also quite common.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| “Dressed to kill” | Looking very attractive in your clothes | He was dressed to kill in his new suit. |
| “Rags to riches” | To become wealthy from poverty | Smart investments and hard work propelled him from rags to riches. |
| “Clothes make the man” | Judging other people based on how they dress | At a job interview, it’s helpful to remember that clothes make the man. |
| “Sunday best” | Your absolute finest clothes | It’s not every day you see her around town in her Sunday best. |
| “All dressed up with nowhere to go” | To be prepared for an occasion that never happens | After the game was rained out, the football team was all dressed up with nowhere to go.” |
| “Emperor’s new clothes” | Something widely praised which is actually worthless/inefficient. | The newest phone is really just the emperor’s new clothes. |
| “To change one’s clothes” | To alter one’s appearance or image | Since arriving at university, he’s really changed his clothes. |
Shirt and Jacket Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| “Lose your shirt” | To lose a lot of money | Due to the recession, he’s in danger of losing his shirt. |
| “Give the shirt off your back” | To be an especially generous person | When I needed it, he gave the shirt off his back to help me. |
| “Stuffed shirt” | Someone pompous or pretentious | The stuffed shirts only socialize with themselves. |
| “Keep your shirt on” | Stay calm, don’t get angry | It doesn’t matter how annoyed he is, he always keeps his shirt on. |
| “Sweat your shirt off” | To work very hard | Getting the report in by midnight meant sweating his shirt off. |
| “Roll up your sleeves” | Take things seriously, start working hard | She’s always known when to roll up her sleeves. |
| “Wear your heart on your sleeve” | Be very open with your emotions | In his relationships, he wears his heart on his sleeve. |
Shoe Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| “If the shoe fits” | If something applies to you/is true | I don’t mean to call you lazy, but if the shoe fits… |
| “Shoestring budget” | With very little money to spend | Finding an apartment is a challenge on a shoestring budget. |
| “Knock someone’s socks off” | To really surprise or amaze someone | That concert knocked my socks off! |
| “Put yourself in their shoes” | Think about how they feel | You might disagree with him, but put yourself in his shoes. |
| “Big shoes to fill” | A large responsibility/someone hard to replace | The vice president found himself with big shoes to fill. |
| “Waiting for the other shoe to drop” | Waiting for something unavoidable, usually something bad | I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop at work. |
| “The shoe is on the other foot” | The situation has reversed | Now that he’s the boss, the shoe is on the other foot. |
Pants and Skirt Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| “Scare the pants off someone” | To really frighten someone | The haunted house scared the pants off him. |
| “By the seat of one’s pants” | To do something without a clear plan | George started building his house by the seat of his pants. |
| “Skirt the issue” | To avoid discussing something | Whenever someone brings up politics, he always skirts the issue. |
| “Wear the pants” | Be in charge | Everyone knows she wears the pants in their relationship. |
| “Caught with your pants down” | Caught in a lie or caught off guard | When his parents came home early, Joey was caught with his pants down. |
| “Keep your pants on” | Stay calm, don’t get impatient | You have to keep your pants on when talking to customer service. |
| “Ants in your pants” | Restless, can’t sit still | Waiting in line for so long gave him ants in his pants. |
Hat Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| “At the drop of a hat” | Immediately, very spontaneously | She’ll always go dancing at the drop of a hat. |
| “Eat your hat” | To be very sure something will/won’t happen | My horse is winning the race or I’ll eat my hat. |
| “Hat in hand” | Make a humble request, act humbly | He asked for a loan with his hat in hand. |
| “Throw your hat in the ring” | To put yourself forward for an opportunity | When she saw the prize, she decided to throw her hat in the ring. |
| “Tip your hat to something” | To give credit to something | He tipped his hat to her when hearing her idea. |
| “Old hat” | Outdated or unoriginal | Call of Duty is old hat at this point. |
| “Hang up your hat” | To settle down or retire | Winning the lottery helped him hang up his hat. |
Coat and Tie Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| “Turncoat” | A traitor or one who changes side | All it took was a bribe for them to be turncoats. |
| “Tie the knot” | To get married | John and Becca finally tied the knot. |
| “Put on a new coat” | To take on a different appearance or disguise | He puts on a new coat around his friends. |
| “Black tie” | Formal attire | The fundraiser called for black tie clothing. |
| “Button up your coat” | To get ready or protect yourself | Today’s the big day, better button up your coat. |
| “Tie up loose ends” | To take care of final details | After tying up loose ends, the product was ready to ship. |
| “Family ties” | Strong connections with family | She took her grandmother in because of her family ties. |
Why Learn Idioms With Clothes in English?
Clothing idioms appear everywhere in English, from books and movies to workplace meetings. There are many phrases that are flexible enough to apply across dozens of situations (“Tie up loose ends”, “Roll up your sleeves”, and “Waiting for the other shoe to drop” stand out as very universally applicable), and clothes idioms make your English sound more elegant.
It’s a great idea to learn idioms in general, as they add style and nuance to your English, and idioms with clothes are no exception. Mastering these phrases helps you sound fluent and speak naturally.
Idioms with clothes used in conversation might look something like this:
Person 1: “I’ve just heard; John and Meghan are tying the knot”
Person 2: “About time! John’s always worn his heart on his sleeve. Will you go to the wedding?”
Person 1: “Of course; I need to get a suit though. It’s a black-tie occasion.”
Tips for Using Idioms With Clothes Correctly
The smoothest speakers use idioms appropriately and sparingly, so that they have maximum impact in sentences. If you want to learn how best to integrate idioms with clothes into your writing and conversations, there are a few rules to follow.
- Learn idioms in context. Because an idiom is a sentence that means something other than the words themselves, it’s crucial that you learn these idioms in context.
- Don’t overuse idioms. Especially in more formal writing, it sounds forced and is not context-appropriate when you lean too heavily on idioms with clothes.
- Practice speaking, not just writing. Small dialogue examples like the above can help you see where clothes idioms fit in conversations.
- Create flashcards. Flashcards are one of the top English-language learning strategies to help you really memorize vocabulary.
Clothing Idioms Quiz
To help you internalize these idioms with clothes, we’ve prepared a few quiz questions for you. Can you tell what these idioms mean in context?
- She wears the pants in the family.
- I tip my hat to you for that presentation.
- The CEO went from rags to riches.
- Everyone’s talking about the new film, but it’ll be old hat in a week.
- Don was dressed to kill at the dance last night.
- He was sweating his shirt off on the construction site.
Conclusion
Idioms with clothes are as varied as the clothes that people wear, and mastering them gives you even more tools to convey your ideas. It’s also worth learning these phrases so you will recognize them when others use them, since they will show up in the books you read or TV shows you watch.
Do you have a favorite clothing idiom? Share it below in the comments!