Leave It

 “The best thing about the past is that it shows you what not to bring more into your future.” (Lorant Vaida) 

Have you ever looked back at photographs from your past, and viewed both the hairstyle and clothing you were wearing at the time and thought in amazement, “What was I thinking to believe that looked good?” Life is always changing (as well as fashion). What’s the “in-look” today may be out-of-style tomorrow. A cliché that goes well with the idea of changing fashions is “dressed to the nines.” Do you know the origin of this cliché?

Dressed to the nines means “to perfection or the highest degree" or “to be wearing fashionable or formal clothes for a special occasion.” The origins of this cliché come from a variety of sources.  The cliché may come from the nine yards of material a tailor needed to make a truly nice suit.

Another explanation says this cliché may be derived from the 99th (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot, a British army regiment established in 1824. They were allegedly known for the spotless condition of their uniforms.

One more understanding of this cliché comes from the Old English phrase “dressed to the eyes.” It was written as “dressed to then eyne.” At some point, someone misheard “then eyne” and mistook it for “the nines.” In a more biblical explanation, nine could refer to both the total parts of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

N matter how fashions change throughout your lifetime (for the good or bad). God wants you to understand the truth behind 1 Samuel 16:7 (TLB): ... God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.  You heavenly Father is much more concerned with what’s going on internally than what you are putting on your body externally. If you are spiritually ugly on the inside, but beautiful on the outside, don’t you think God needs you to make some changes? Just ask Him for help.[i]

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[i] An explanation of the origins of this cliché was requested by my wife and blog member, Bobbi Kinker.

 Sources used:

“Dressed (up) to the nines” by Cambridge Dictionary

“To the nines” from Wikipedia

“Where Did the Phrase ‘Dressed to the Nines’ Come from?” by Matt Soniak