give the shirt off one's back
Give anything and everything one possesses. For example, Tom is truly generous—he'll give you the shirt off his back. This hyperbolic idiom was first recorded in 1771.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Words nearby give the shirt off one's back
Give the devil his due, give the eye, give the finger, give the go-ahead, give the lie to, give the shirt off one's back, give the slip, give the time of day, give the word, give the works, give to understand
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.