[Ads-l] "(dressed) to the nine" (yards?)

[Mark Mandel]

An allusion to the Muses would make sense especially if the expression
originated as "to the nine" or "to the Nine", which is more in line with
more general usage. Is there any evidence for such an expression in an
appropriate epoch?

Mark

On Apr 12, 2016 8:27 PM, "Peter Reitan" <pjreitan at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Phrases.org.uk, Gary Martin makes a believable suggestion that the
"nines" are the nine muses.  I've dug through quite a few early references
that appear just before "dressed to the nines" proper, that seem consistent
with a reference to the muses.  What ever is "to the nines (or nine)" is
generally something like poetry, or song, or art; sometimes a poet
dedicates something "to the nines".  In the case of dressing, it seems that
they are dressed in such a manner that the muses would be pleased.
> http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/dressed-to-the-nines.html

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