dress-down

[dres-doun]

adjective

1. pertaining to or being a policy that allows employees to dress less formally than usual.

   dress-down days during the summer.

dress down

verb

1. informal,  (tr) to reprimand severely or scold (a person)

2. (intr) to dress in a casual or informal manner, esp at work

Word History and Origins

Origin of dress down¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Idioms and Phrases

Scold, reprimand, as in The sergeant will dress down the entire unit . In the 15th century the verb dress alone was used in the sense of “punish,” down being added several centuries later. It also gave rise to the noun dressing down for punishment with blows or words. For example, The teacher gave the girls a severe dressing down .

Wear informal clothes, as in It's best to dress down for a party like a barbecue . [Mid-1900s] For the antonym, see dress up .