16 Clothing Related Idioms That You Need to Know

Do you know these strange clothing related English idioms and their meanings? Test yourself or your friends with these 15 clothing idioms.

Air your dirty laundry- To discuss your private life, especially your problems, in front of other people that are not involved with the problems.

Birthday suit- Wearing no clothes and being completely naked.

Burn a hole in your pocket-If someone says that you are burning a hole in your pocket, they mean that you want to spend your money quickly.

Catch someone with their trousers down- This idiom means to surprise someone in an embarrassing situation, especially if it is something that they shouldn’t be doing.

Cut from the same cloth- You could use this idiom if you and your best friend have a lot of things in common, because it means to share a lot of similarities with something/someone.

Do something like it is going out of fashion- This idiom means that you are doing, eating, buying or using, something a lot.

Dressed to kill- If someone says that you are looking like you are dressed to kill, they are saying that you are wearing your finest clothes and looking really nice.

Fits like a glove- You might find a fantastic pair of jeans that fit like a glove, which means that they fit perfectly.

Give someone the shirt off your back- This idiom means to be very kind and generous to someone.

Have a card up your sleeve- You could use this expression if you have a secret plan, for example you might be playing poker with some friends and they don’t know that you have the winning card!

Have ants in your pants-If you have ants in your pants, it means that you can’t keep still, either because you are very excited or worried about something.

Line your own pockets- This idiom means that you are making money in a dishonest way.

Put on your thinking cap- Your teacher might use this expression; it means to think hard about something.

Roll up your sleeves-If you say to someone roll up your sleeves, you are telling them to prepare to work hard and get the job done.

Wear your heart on your sleeve- More sleeve related idioms! This one has nothing to do with working hard like the above. If you wear your heart on your sleeve it means that you show your feelings and let them be known.

Wolf in sheep’s clothing- You might use this idiom when describing someone who is pretending to be a good person, but realistically they aren’t a good person.

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