with bells on

Idioms  

1. 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).

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Example Sentences

Threatened by Aberdeen last time and with St Mirren now, the threat is back, with bells on.

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025

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

But seriously folks... it’s a Madrid derby with bells on, because it’s also the leaders versus the champions.

From The Guardian • Dec. 12, 2021

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

From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty