with bells on

Idioms

Ready to celebrate, eagerly, as in Of course I'll come; I'll be there with bells on. This metaphoric expression alludes to decorating oneself or one's clothing with little bells for some special performance or occasion. A well-known nursery rhyme has: “See a fine lady upon a white horse, Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, And she shall have music wherever she goes” (in Gammer Gurton's Garland, 1784).

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In general, I love the festive, frantic busyness of December — all those windblown and perennially overcommitted New Yorkers careening toward the holidays and the fresh calendar year waiting just beyond with bells on.

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2023

You should have advised her to get herself to Europe for this wedding … with bells on!

From Washington Post • Mar. 1, 2023

His friend and author, Norman Giller, called him "Messi with bells on" external-link - but both strikers redefined their position in their own right.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2023

Sounds like Prince Charles and the queen need to be at those hypothetical training sessions, with bells on.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2021

On La Noche Buena, December 24, no costumed shepherds with bells on their staffs roamed the streets.

From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023