20 Idioms based on Clothing

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These are English idioms based on clothes and clothing. You can also try this Clothing Idioms Quiz

If someone is a knight in shining armour, they help you when you are in a difficult situation.

A wolf in sheep's clothing is someone who seems to be a good person but is really a bad person.

If you do something at the drop of a hat, you do it immediately, without preparation or planning.

You can say a person or an organisation has deep pockets if they have lots of money.

If you are dressed to the nines, or dressed up to the nines, you are wearing very smart clothes for a special occasion.

If you earn your stripes, you do something to prove that you have the skills or ability for a particular job or rank.

If you can fill somebody's shoes, you can replace them and do what they do.

If you are hot under the collar, you feel angry or annoyed about something.

If someone tells you a secret and you keep it under your hat, you don't tell anyone.

If something knocks your socks off, it amazes you and surprises you.

If you speak off the cuff, you speak without planning what you will say beforehand.

If something is old hat, it's old-fashioned and no longer seen as being modern and new.

You can say "pull your socks up" to someone if you think they should improve the way they are behaving or the way they are doing something.

If you're quaking in your boots, you are very frightened.

If you go from rags to riches, you start out very poor and you become very rich.

If you're talking through your hat, you're talking about something without knowing much about it, or you claim something is true when it isn't.

If something is the jewel in the crown, it's part of a group or set of similar things, and it's the best of them all.

If you tighten your belt, you try to spend less money.

If you wear your heart on your sleeve, you show your emotions openly and you don't try to hide your feelings.

If you work your socks off, or work your tail off, you work very hard.