This post looks into the linguistic realm of fashion-related expressions, delving into the origins and meanings behind some commonly used phrases. From “tightening your belt” to “wearing the trousers,” it unravels the threads of language to discover how these idioms have woven themselves into our everyday conversations.

Let’s start with ‘belt’. If you have achieved something, such as a qualification, a success or work experience, you can say you now have it under your belt:

It felt great to finally have a win under my belt.

Once you’ve got some experience under your belt, you’ll be in a better position to apply for jobs.

If you make an effort to spend less money, you can say that you tighten your belt:

Like a lot of small companies, we’re having to tighten our belts.

Meanwhile, a comment (often a personal one) that is described as below the belt is unkind and unfair:

That comment about his height was a bit below the belt.

Moving on to a different garment, in a relationship, the person who is said to wear the trousers (UK)/wear the pants (US) is the one who is in control, making the big decisions.

Now to footwear, the word ‘shoes’ features in two nice idioms that are both related to other people’s experiences. You say you wouldn’t want to be in someone’s shoes, meaning that you would not like to be in their situation:

I wouldn’t want to be in Sophie’s shoes when James finds out what she’s done.

If you were giving a friend advice, you might start by using the idiom If I were in your shoes, meaning ‘If I were in your situation’:

If I were in your shoes, I think I’d call Zoe and explain what’s happened.

Two other ‘shoe’ idioms relate to roles at work. If you step into or fill someone’s shoes, you start to do their job after they have stopped doing it:

There’s certainly no shortage of candidates willing to step into the manager’s shoes.

If someone replaces a person at work who has done an excellent job (especially in a public role), you might say they have big shoes to fill or Those are big shoes to fill:

Whoever steps in as the replacement coach will have big shoes to fill.

It’s going to be tough for whoever takes over. Those are big shoes to fill.

‘Boots’ also feature in some nice idioms. In UK English, if your heart is in your boots you feel very sad or worried, often about something that is going to happen, and if you are shaking or quaking in your boots, you are very frightened or nervous. (This idiom is often used negatively.)

My heart’s in my boots at the prospect of returning to the office.

They won’t be exactly quaking in their boots at the prospect of playing England.

In British English, we might describe someone who is strong both physically and emotionally (as) tough as old boots:

She’ll be fine. She’s tough as old boots!

We’ll finish with two ‘sock’ idioms. A person who says to someone Put a sock in it! is rudely telling them to be quiet:

Hey, put a sock in it, will you? I’m trying to sleep!

Finally, in UK English, if you tell someone they need to pull their socks up, you mean they must start to work or study harder because their current performance isn’t good enough:

This is your exam year so you’re really going to have to pull your socks up.

This post looks into the linguistic realm of fashion-related expressions, delving into the origins and meanings behind some commonly used phrases. From “tightening your belt” to “wearing the trousers,” it unravels the threads of language to discover how these idioms have woven themselves into our everyday conversations.

Let’s start with ‘belt’. If you have achieved something, such as a qualification, a success or work experience, you can say you now have it under your belt:

It felt great to finally have a win under my belt.

Once you’ve got some experience under your belt, you’ll be in a better position to apply for jobs.

If you make an effort to spend less money, you can say that you tighten your belt:

Like a lot of small companies, we’re having to tighten our belts.

Meanwhile, a comment (often a personal one) that is described as below the belt is unkind and unfair:

That comment about his height was a bit below the belt.

Moving on to a different garment, in a relationship, the person who is said to wear the trousers (UK)/wear the pants (US) is the one who is in control, making the big decisions.

Now to footwear, the word ‘shoes’ features in two nice idioms that are both related to other people’s experiences. You say you wouldn’t want to be in someone’s shoes, meaning that you would not like to be in their situation:

I wouldn’t want to be in Sophie’s shoes when James finds out what she’s done.

If you were giving a friend advice, you might start by using the idiom If I were in your shoes, meaning ‘If I were in your situation’:

If I were in your shoes, I think I’d call Zoe and explain what’s happened.

Two other ‘shoe’ idioms relate to roles at work. If you step into or fill someone’s shoes, you start to do their job after they have stopped doing it:

There’s certainly no shortage of candidates willing to step into the manager’s shoes.

If someone replaces a person at work who has done an excellent job (especially in a public role), you might say they have big shoes to fill or Those are big shoes to fill:

Whoever steps in as the replacement coach will have big shoes to fill.

It’s going to be tough for whoever takes over. Those are big shoes to fill.

‘Boots’ also feature in some nice idioms. In UK English, if your heart is in your boots you feel very sad or worried, often about something that is going to happen, and if you are shaking or quaking in your boots, you are very frightened or nervous. (This idiom is often used negatively.)

My heart’s in my boots at the prospect of returning to the office.

They won’t be exactly quaking in their boots at the prospect of playing England.

In British English, we might describe someone who is strong both physically and emotionally (as) tough as old boots:

She’ll be fine. She’s tough as old boots!

We’ll finish with two ‘sock’ idioms. A person who says to someone Put a sock in it! is rudely telling them to be quiet:

Hey, put a sock in it, will you? I’m trying to sleep!

Finally, in UK English, if you tell someone they need to pull their socks up, you mean they must start to work or study harder because their current performance isn’t good enough:

This is your exam year so you’re really going to have to pull your socks up.

FROM CMOS: Quotations and Dialogue

Q. Can you clarify when a comma should be used before a quote, especially following the word read or said? For example, “Newspaper headlines read, ‘People Are Angry’ and ‘Crime Abounds’” versus “Newspaper headlines read ‘People Are Angry’ and ‘Crime Abounds.’”

A. The use of a comma to introduce a quotation is generally a matter of tradition rather than strict logic. That is, it is optional grammatically, but in most contexts readers expect it to follow said and various other dialogue tags. A comma indicates that the quoted material is seen as syntactically independent from the surrounding text. A quote that is seen more clearly as the direct object of a speaking verb, however, does not need a comma: He wrote “Yes” in large letters.

NOTE: syntactically independent???? Wait, what?

From Webster-dictionary.org: https://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/syntactically%20independent#:~:text=Adj.,joking%20apart’%20are%20syntactically%20independent%22: “syntactically_independent” – standing apart from a normal syntactical relation with other sentence elements;”in `joking apart, we need to go now‘ the words `joking apart‘ are syntactically independent“

Thesaurus.net adds: When it comes to writing or speaking, the term “syntactically independent” refers to a phrase or clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence without the need for additional context. 

MORE FROM CMOS

Q. I recently became aware that many sources insist one absolutely must use a comma after “said” to punctuate sentences like this one: She looked up and said, “Hi.” Is this really a universal rule? The more I look into it, the more I feel I’ve slipped into an alternate universe.

A. According to CMOS 13.40, common one-word utterances can usually be introduced without the help of a comma—and without quotation marks or an initial capital:

She looked up and said hi.

We told her no.

Don’t ask me why.

But when such words are presented as direct discourse—as in the dialogue of a novel or story—they are usually placed in quotation marks and set off by a comma, like any other quoted words of dialogue:

She looked up and said, “Hi.”

“Hi,” I replied, a little embarrassed by the echo.

This convention suggests that the word or words in quotation marks were literally spoken as written. But it can be awkward to put the speaker ahead of the quotation. To smooth things out, try reversing the order:

“Hi,” she said, looking up.

For some additional considerations, see “Is a Comma Needed to Introduce Dialogue” in Fiction+ at CMOS Shop Talk.

A QUICK QUIZ

Do you ALWAYS put a comma after (he, she, they) said? Do  you think a comma is needed after “said” in these instances?

So one afternoon—this was about the middle of September 1939—Mr. G. says, Where is—where is Castleton? John Castleton. He looked around. Well, I raised my hand. He said, I want you to stay after the other gentlemen leave.

Yes, there should be a comma after said, “I want you to stay. . . ” needs to stand alone from the rest of the text.

No need for a comma, it’s not a direct quote, “I want you to stay” is the object of He said.

So Mr. G. sent me over to Whitson’s Tool and Supply on West Xth Street. And I went up there, and I talked. I said, I’d like to see the president, Mr. A. 

Yes, there should be a comma after said, it’s a quote.

No, because he says I talked, I said I’d like to see the president. There should be a comma after I talked.

I got a letter from the United States government. It says, You have been selected. I got it from the draft board, of course.

Nope, don’t need a comma. This isn’t a quote or a conversation

Yep, definitely needs a comma. If “says” is used, it’s a quote.

I don’t know why he picked on me, but anyway, I went up to his desk, and he said, Well, there’s a place called Whitson’s Tool and Supply. I know this gentleman very well—the president. He said to send only one person over that he thought would fit the job over here. 

Yes there are two “he said” statements, and the first one is syntactically independent–it needs to stand out.

No, these aren’t direct quotes, Well there’s a place called White Tool and Supply is the object of said.

And I called the draft board, and I said, Well, I got this letter. She says, Yeah, well, that’s a letter. You’re going to be drafted. But I said, Well, how soon? Well, just go ahead and live your life the way you’ve been living. What? Well, we’ll let you know. Well, okay, So I went out. I bought a couple of more suits; I bought some more shoes, and, oh, everything was lovely. 
*

No. Since there’s no “She said” or “I said” at other places, no need for commas. It’s all just a recap of a conversation.

Yes, because when a phrase is prefaced with said or says, it should be followed by a comma.

Now, this—well, this goes right up into 19—the end of 1943 almost, I would say. And I had—let’s see. I was a corporal at that time. They made me a corporal technician because the corporals rating had to stay with the company, but they said, (1) You’ll be a corporal technician, which was okay. I said, (2) I didn’t care. The money’s the same. 

1A. No, because it isn’t syntactically independent if he follows it with which was okay.

1B. Yes, I’m a traditionalist. When you use the word said, follow with a comma.

2A. Yes, because it’s a quote.

2B. It’s not a quote, he’s telling you his reaction. “I didn’t care. The money was the same.”

FROM CMOS: Quotations and Dialogue

Q. Can you clarify when a comma should be used before a quote, especially following the word read or said? For example, “Newspaper headlines read, ‘People Are Angry’ and ‘Crime Abounds’” versus “Newspaper headlines read ‘People Are Angry’ and ‘Crime Abounds.’”

A. The use of a comma to introduce a quotation is generally a matter of tradition rather than strict logic. That is, it is optional grammatically, but in most contexts readers expect it to follow said and various other dialogue tags. A comma indicates that the quoted material is seen as syntactically independent from the surrounding text. A quote that is seen more clearly as the direct object of a speaking verb, however, does not need a comma: He wrote “Yes” in large letters.

NOTE: syntactically independent???? Wait, what?

From Webster-dictionary.org: https://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/syntactically%20independent#:~:text=Adj.,joking%20apart’%20are%20syntactically%20independent%22: “syntactically_independent” – standing apart from a normal syntactical relation with other sentence elements;”in `joking apart, we need to go now‘ the words `joking apart‘ are syntactically independent“

Thesaurus.net adds: When it comes to writing or speaking, the term “syntactically independent” refers to a phrase or clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence without the need for additional context. 

MORE FROM CMOS

Q. I recently became aware that many sources insist one absolutely must use a comma after “said” to punctuate sentences like this one: She looked up and said, “Hi.” Is this really a universal rule? The more I look into it, the more I feel I’ve slipped into an alternate universe.

A. According to CMOS 13.40, common one-word utterances can usually be introduced without the help of a comma—and without quotation marks or an initial capital:

She looked up and said hi.

We told her no.

Don’t ask me why.

But when such words are presented as direct discourse—as in the dialogue of a novel or story—they are usually placed in quotation marks and set off by a comma, like any other quoted words of dialogue:

She looked up and said, “Hi.”

“Hi,” I replied, a little embarrassed by the echo.

This convention suggests that the word or words in quotation marks were literally spoken as written. But it can be awkward to put the speaker ahead of the quotation. To smooth things out, try reversing the order:

“Hi,” she said, looking up.

For some additional considerations, see “Is a Comma Needed to Introduce Dialogue” in Fiction+ at CMOS Shop Talk.

A QUICK QUIZ

Do you ALWAYS put a comma after (he, she, they) said? Do  you think a comma is needed after “said” in these instances?

So one afternoon—this was about the middle of September 1939—Mr. G. says, Where is—where is Castleton? John Castleton. He looked around. Well, I raised my hand. He said, I want you to stay after the other gentlemen leave.

Yes, there should be a comma after said, “I want you to stay. . . ” needs to stand alone from the rest of the text.

No need for a comma, it’s not a direct quote, “I want you to stay” is the object of He said.

So Mr. G. sent me over to Whitson’s Tool and Supply on West Xth Street. And I went up there, and I talked. I said, I’d like to see the president, Mr. A. 

Yes, there should be a comma after said, it’s a quote.

No, because he says I talked, I said I’d like to see the president. There should be a comma after I talked.

I got a letter from the United States government. It says, You have been selected. I got it from the draft board, of course.

Nope, don’t need a comma. This isn’t a quote or a conversation

Yep, definitely needs a comma. If “says” is used, it’s a quote.

I don’t know why he picked on me, but anyway, I went up to his desk, and he said, Well, there’s a place called Whitson’s Tool and Supply. I know this gentleman very well—the president. He said to send only one person over that he thought would fit the job over here. 

Yes there are two “he said” statements, and the first one is syntactically independent–it needs to stand out.

No, these aren’t direct quotes, Well there’s a place called White Tool and Supply is the object of said.

And I called the draft board, and I said, Well, I got this letter. She says, Yeah, well, that’s a letter. You’re going to be drafted. But I said, Well, how soon? Well, just go ahead and live your life the way you’ve been living. What? Well, we’ll let you know. Well, okay, So I went out. I bought a couple of more suits; I bought some more shoes, and, oh, everything was lovely. 
*

No. Since there’s no “She said” or “I said” at other places, no need for commas. It’s all just a recap of a conversation.

Yes, because when a phrase is prefaced with said or says, it should be followed by a comma.

Now, this—well, this goes right up into 19—the end of 1943 almost, I would say. And I had—let’s see. I was a corporal at that time. They made me a corporal technician because the corporals rating had to stay with the company, but they said, (1) You’ll be a corporal technician, which was okay. I said, (2) I didn’t care. The money’s the same. 

1A. No, because it isn’t syntactically independent if he follows it with which was okay.

1B. Yes, I’m a traditionalist. When you use the word said, follow with a comma.

2A. Yes, because it’s a quote.

2B. It’s not a quote, he’s telling you his reaction. “I didn’t care. The money was the same.”

Intro: People talking actually use these words to describe the speech they’ve observed. Often, those verbs are colloquial, like She busted out laughing, instead of burst out. Bawl can be used to describe crying.

This post looks at ways of conveying personality or emotions by choosing a more interesting verb than ‘say’ when you report someone’s speech. Anyone who has been on a creative writing course will be familiar with the maxim ‘Show, don’t tell,’ and choosing a specific synonym for ‘say’ can help you to do this.

For instance, instead of saying directly that someone is angry, a reporting verb such as bellow or bawl clearly conveys the same idea:

‘Get back inside right now!’ he bellowed.

She bawled at us to get out of the way.

Other verbs for shouting loudly are shriek and screech. Both indicate a high degree of emotion. If they are used on their own, they usually indicate shock or anger, but they can also be used for positive emotions where this is specified:

‘Ow!’ she shrieked. ‘The dog bit me!’

He fell over and we all screeched with laughter.

If you want to show that someone is upset or in pain, you could choose a verb such as howl or wail. These both imply loud noises, whereas groan and moan indicate lower, softer sounds and whimper is soft but higher-pitched:

‘You trod on my toe,’ she howled.

‘I think my leg is broken,’ he groaned.

‘My head hurts,’ she whimpered.

A good verb for showing that someone is shocked is splutter, while burst out often shows that someone cannot control their emotions:

‘That’s outrageous!’ he spluttered.

‘I don’t trust them!’ she burst out angrily.

People who drawl speak slowly but unclearly, with long vowel sounds. This is a good verb to indicate laziness or arrogance. Another verb for unclear speech is slur, which often implies that someone is drunk:

‘Well,’ he drawled, ‘I’m surprised to see you here again.’

‘Take me home,’ she slurred.

If you mumble, your words are quiet and difficult to understand. Mutter is similar, but is usually used to indicate anger or worry, while murmur is softer and usually used in positive situations:

She mumbled something about having lost track of the time.

‘They’re not meant to be here,’ he muttered.

‘I love you so much,’ she murmured.

If you want to show that someone is speaking quickly and indistinctly, often through excitement or fear, you could use the verbs gabble, babble or jabber:

‘I promise I’ll never do it again,’ he gabbled.

She spends all day jabbering on the phone.

If you have found this post useful, look out for the next one, which is on the same subject, but focuses specifically  on using animal noise verbs to show human personality and emotion.

Intro: People talking actually use these words to describe the speech they’ve observed. Often, those verbs are colloquial, like She busted out laughing, instead of burst out. Bawl can be used to describe crying.

This post looks at ways of conveying personality or emotions by choosing a more interesting verb than ‘say’ when you report someone’s speech. Anyone who has been on a creative writing course will be familiar with the maxim ‘Show, don’t tell,’ and choosing a specific synonym for ‘say’ can help you to do this.

For instance, instead of saying directly that someone is angry, a reporting verb such as bellow or bawl clearly conveys the same idea:

‘Get back inside right now!’ he bellowed.

She bawled at us to get out of the way.

Other verbs for shouting loudly are shriek and screech. Both indicate a high degree of emotion. If they are used on their own, they usually indicate shock or anger, but they can also be used for positive emotions where this is specified:

‘Ow!’ she shrieked. ‘The dog bit me!’

He fell over and we all screeched with laughter.

If you want to show that someone is upset or in pain, you could choose a verb such as howl or wail. These both imply loud noises, whereas groan and moan indicate lower, softer sounds and whimper is soft but higher-pitched:

‘You trod on my toe,’ she howled.

‘I think my leg is broken,’ he groaned.

‘My head hurts,’ she whimpered.

A good verb for showing that someone is shocked is splutter, while burst out often shows that someone cannot control their emotions:

‘That’s outrageous!’ he spluttered.

‘I don’t trust them!’ she burst out angrily.

People who drawl speak slowly but unclearly, with long vowel sounds. This is a good verb to indicate laziness or arrogance. Another verb for unclear speech is slur, which often implies that someone is drunk:

‘Well,’ he drawled, ‘I’m surprised to see you here again.’

‘Take me home,’ she slurred.

If you mumble, your words are quiet and difficult to understand. Mutter is similar, but is usually used to indicate anger or worry, while murmur is softer and usually used in positive situations:

She mumbled something about having lost track of the time.

‘They’re not meant to be here,’ he muttered.

‘I love you so much,’ she murmured.

If you want to show that someone is speaking quickly and indistinctly, often through excitement or fear, you could use the verbs gabble, babble or jabber:

‘I promise I’ll never do it again,’ he gabbled.

She spends all day jabbering on the phone.

If you have found this post useful, look out for the next one, which is on the same subject, but focuses specifically  on using animal noise verbs to show human personality and emotion.