Idiomatic Clothing Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bonnet

To have a bee in one's bonnet means to be obsessed with a particular topic and talk about it all the time. The idiom is believed to have originated in Scotland in the 18th century where men and boys still wore caps that were called bonnets. Having an actual bee enter one's bonnet would be a source of extreme irritation, causing one to talk about it incessantly.

Answer: Hat

To keep something under one's hat is to keep it relatively secret. There are many theories as to the origin of this idiom. One of these is that it meant to keep something in one's head - to think about it but not talk about it. Since the hat is worn on the head, under the hat can be used mean the head. Such a description is found in the book "Inimitable Jeeves" by P. G. Wodehouse.

Answer: Apron

Tied to one's apron strings is used negatively to describe a man controlled by either his mother or his wife. The origin of this phrase is the literal use of apron strings to tie small kids to prevent them from getting into harm. Using such a term for a grown man would therefore be derisive.

Answer: Dress

To dress up to the nines is to be very elegantly attired. Another similar expression is to dress to the teeth. In early times, 'to the nines' indicated a high degree of perfection and therefore led to this idiom.

Answer: Belt

To tighten one's belt is to live more economically due to straitened circumstances. It likely originated from the fact that being more frugal caused one to lose weight and one might therefore need one to tighten one's belt by a notch or two.

Answer: Skirt

To skirt around an issue is to avoid discussing it directly or openly. Here the word skirt doesn't actually mean the article of clothing. Instead, skirt is used in the context of a border or rim. Using this meaning, the idiom is easy to understand. Another idiom with a similar meaning is to beat around the bush.

Answer: Cap

To have a feather in one's cap is to have an achievement that one can be proud of. This idiom derives from the actual practice among some cultures of adding a feather in one's headdress for every courageous act. This was a custom in cultures as diverse as the Native Americans and the Hungarians.

Answer: Cloak

Cloak and dagger is used to refer to situations of mystery and intrigue. The phrase may have originated from the fact that in medieval times in Europe, a cloak was used to hide a dagger or camouflage its movement, allowing for sudden attacks. It is similar to the expression 'smoke and mirrors', which also describes a setting of subterfuge.

Answer: Glove

To be hand in glove with someone is to work in tandem or work very closely. A similar expression is to work hand in hand with someone. Both denote a sense of collaboration.

Answer: Shoe

To wait for the other shoe to drop is to wait for an expected event to occur, an event which is usually unpleasant. It is believed that this idiom originated in the apartments of New York. The walls were thin enough that noises from one house could easily be heard in the neighbouring one. If you were rudely awakened by the sound of a shoe dropping, you would know that it would soon be followed by the sound of the second shoe. Thus the idiom meant waiting for an inevitable, mostly unpleasant, event to occur.