What do people mean when they say someone is ‘dressed to the hilt’? Aren’t hilts normally on swords?
QUESTION
Why do we say ‘dressed to the hilt’?
ANSWER
Hilts refer to the handles of swords and daggers or any weapon or tool.
But the idiom ‘to the hilt’ means ‘to the maximum extent or degree’. So if someone was ‘dressed to the hilt’, it means someone went all out to dress up!
Source: Edited from “English As It is Broken” on STOMP. Visit www.stomp.com.sg for more
