gussy up
gussied up
Dressed or decorated fancifully or attractively, especially in a showy, garish, or tawdry manner. You sure got gussied up for the occasion! A tuxedo and everything! Samantha's always going around town all gussied up in those tacky dresses and cheap makeup.
See also: gussied, up
gussy up
1. To improve one's appearance, as by wearing fancy clothing and/or make-up. In this usage, a noun, pronoun, or reflexive pronoun can be used between "gussy" and "up." Why are you all gussied up? Is your boyfriend coming to visit today? I need to gussy myself up for the big event tonight.
2. To add something to something to make it fancier or more appealing. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "gussy" and "up." This room is so plain. How can we gussy it up for the big event?
See also: up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
gussied up
Rur. dressed up fancy. All the girls got gussied up for the dance, but the guys wore their regular clothes. Mary really got gussied up. She even curled her hair.
See also: gussied, up
gussy someone or something up
Rur. to dress someone or something up; to make someone or something fancy. She gussied the kids up for the wedding. See if you can gussy up this room a little before folks get here.
See also: up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
gussied up
Also, all gussied up. Dressed up, as in Dana loves to get all gussied up and go to a fine restaurant. The origin of this expression is not clear, though possibly it relates to the earlier use of the noun gussie (derived from a proper name) for an effeminate man. [Slang; mid-1900s]
See also: gussied, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
gussy up
v. Slang
1. To dress someone in special or fancy clothes. Used chiefly in the passive or with a reflexive: We were gussied up in ball gowns. I gussied myself up for the party.
2. To add embellishing details to something in order to make it more attractive: The chef gussied up the meat loaf with a truffle sauce. The decorators gussied the room up for the ceremony.
See also: up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
gussied up
(ˈgəsid...) mod. dressed up in one’s best clothing. (Folksy.) I like to get gussied up and go out on the town.
See also: gussied, up
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
- gussied
- gussied up
- (all) dressed up like a pox doctor's clerk
- dressed (up) fit to kill
- kitsch
- dressed (up) like a dog's dinner
- dressed like a dog's dinner
- dressed up like a dog's dinner
- kitschy
- (all) done up like a pox doctor's clerk