English Reference
Idiom idiom

all dressed up and nowhere to go


Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

I am all dressed up and nowhere to go tonight.

CONTEXTUAL

The party was canceled at the last minute, leaving us all dressed up and nowhere to go.

COMPLEX

After spending hours preparing for the gala, she found herself all dressed up and nowhere to go when the event was suddenly postponed.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all systems go

    Everything is ready.

  2. 02

    arse end of nowhere

    A very remote place.

  3. 03

    as you go

    While one is doing (something); as one progresses.

  4. 04

    boldly go where no man has gone before

    To break new ground.

  5. 05

    come and go

    To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.

  6. 06

    don't go there

    Do not broach that topic.

  7. 07

    dress down

    To scold.

  8. 08

    dress to kill

    To dress up so as to impress others (especially of the opposite sex).

Last updated August 10, 2026