put on the dog

Cultural  

1. To make a show of wealth or elegance: “The annual ball gave everyone a chance to dress up and put on the dog.”

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put on the dog Idioms  

1. Also, put on the ritz. Behave in an elegant, extravagant manner, as in We'll have to put on the dog when our daughter's in-laws visit, or They really put on the ritz for the wedding reception. The allusion in the first of these slangy terms, first recorded in 1865, is unclear, although it has been suggested that the newly rich displayed their wealth by keeping pampered lapdogs. The second term, from the 1920s, alludes to the large, luxurious hotels founded by and named for César Ritz (1850–1918), which still exist in Paris, London, and many other major cities.

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Example Sentences

The excellent Ms. Rogers returns as Harry’s frowzy helpmeet, a woman narcotized by monotony, who can still put on the dog for a handsome stranger.

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2018

"I hate people who put on the dog, don't you?" she smiles guilelessly.

From Time Magazine Archive

Official Montreal really put on the dog for its distinguished visitor.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Soviet elite doubled up with friends around town so that Moscow could put on the dog for correspondents at the Conference of Foreign Ministers.

From Time Magazine Archive

One of Christiana's boys said: Pray ask to have a chain put on the dog, for it will bite us when we go hence.

From The Pilgrim's Progress in Words of One Syllable by Bunyan, John