put on the ritz
to make a show of luxury and extravagance
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“They really put on the ritz for the party.”
“You really put on the ritz when you wear that tuxedo.”
“She decided to put on the ritz for her anniversary dinner by booking the most expensive restaurant in town.”
“The hotel staff always put on the ritz when a member of the royal family comes to stay for the weekend.”
“Even though they do not have much money, they like to put on the ritz by serving expensive champagne at their New Year's Eve party.”
“The hosts spared no expense to put on the ritz, adorning the ballroom with gold leaf and fresh orchids for their high-society guests.”
first recorded 20th c.
The idiom evokes the practice of dressing in a manner appropriate for the Ritz Hotel in London, which opened its doors in 1906. While the hotel’s reputation for luxury was immediate, the phrase itself did not appear in print until 1921. It remains a linguistic vestige of a period when one's social standing was measured by the cost of one's tailoring and the geographical location of one's dinner.
- 01
lipstick on a pig
To make superficial or cosmetic changes to something in a doomed attempt to disguise its fundamental flaws.
- 02
not to put too fine a point on it
Used to apologize for a possibly impolite statement one is making; to put it bluntly; to express it in plain terms.
- 03
put a band-aid on a bullet wound
To inadequately treat a serious situation.
- 04
put a blanket over
Make (something) seem less serious.
- 05
put a bug in someone's ear
To make a small suggestion or give a hint that causes the listener to act.
- 06
put a damper on
To stop people from enjoying an activity.
- 07
put a foot wrong
To make a mistake.
- 08
put a gun to someone's head
To compel someone (to do something); to create a situation in which someone has no alternative course of action.
Last updated August 10, 2026