ornament

neither use nor ornament

Totally worthless; serving no purpose whatsoever. Just what is that hideous thing Lady Ethel gave us? From what I can tell, it's neither use nor ornament. The new player has been neither use nor ornament to the team all season, spending the entire time on the sidelines with an injury. My dad is neither use nor ornament when looking after my kids, so I never ask him to babysit.
See also: neither, nor, ornament, use

ornament (something) with (something)

To adorn something with various ornaments or decorations. He had ornamented his cubicle with figurines from different video games and animated shows. They've ornamented the entire outside of their house with Christmas paraphernalia.
See also: ornament
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

ornament something with something

to decorate something with something. The driver ornamented his truck with lots of chrome. The room was ornamented with velvet drapes, wood paneling, family portraits—a den of Victorian virtue.
See also: ornament
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • neither use nor ornament
  • (as) worthless as tits on a boar (hog)
  • rattlebones
  • rattle-bones
  • be like a deer caught in the headlights
  • be no good
  • late in the day
  • fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down
  • no good
  • no-good
References in periodicals archive
Ornament as Argument: Textile Pages and Textile Metaphors in Early Medieval Manuscripts
TTD executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal, however, said that it is a practice to recover the ornament's value from the officer-in-charge of its inspection.
G4015 Owl Garden Ornament G4016 Sheep Garden Ornament ACACIA GARDEN BENCH Now PS119.99 plus PS9.95 p&p* Create the perfect haven to sit back and enjoy a cup of tea while admiring all your handiwork in the garden with this stunning, decorative Acacia hardwood bench from Garden Gear.
A new Hope Valley Christmas Keepsake ornament was announced, and it'll arrive this fall.
The Dubai Mall added another Guinness World Record title to its credits - this time, clinching the record for the World's Largest Christmas Bauble Ornament. Weighing an astounding 1,100 kilograms, the metallic bauble ornament was bespoke made for Dubai Mall's festive campaign by American design firm Venue Arts.
The Dubai Mall, the world's most visited retail and lifestyle destination, is raising the bar yet again by adding another Guinness World Record title to its credits -- this time, clinching the record for the World's Largest Christmas Bauble Ornament.
Eric shared a post of a Trump Helicopter ornament on a Christmas tree and a close-up of the ornament, captioning them: "These Christmas Ornaments are awesome.
So, when Jack breaks a dusty old ornament, he's not sure why his mom is so upset.
All kids and families are asked to make a tree ornament to display on the holiday trees in the lobby.
When I was just learning to sew I had a small group of friends that did an angel ornament exchange every Christmas.
Expanding gold ornament export by promoting and providing policy-support in this connection is among other goals of the policy, he added.
If you're expecting guests, you may feel generous enough to allow them to take home the ornament to remember the occasion.
Over the summer a golfer ornament was taken, along with a small figurine of an elegant lady in a peachcoloured ball dress, plus an angel.
Providence, RI, September 01, 2017 --(PR.com)-- The 24K-gold plated ornament features an anchor, a pinecone and thirteen stars encircling the design.