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My understanding is that this phrase originated in Europe in the middle ages.

during battle knights would wear a full suit of armour.

prior to the battle, the intricate overlapping armour would be assembled onto the knight by his armourer and pages.

once the armour was installed, usually after a substantial period of time, the armourer would usually inform the knight, "my lord, you are dressed to kill"

hope this helps

Kim

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13y ago

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There is no known origin for this phrase. Nine is an important number however, relating to the nine muses of arts and learning, to nine drawn from mythology, history and The Bible. All this amounts to something of the highest standard and because of nine being the highest single number, it symbolizes the best. There could be a misunderstanding with the Old English word 'eyne' meaning eyes, but pronounced similar to 'nine'. So, 'dressed to the eyes' may have a better meaning.

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12y ago
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The MW dictionary defines hilt as a handle, especially of a knife or sword, so "dressed for battle to the death" would seem accurate.

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13y ago
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Q: Where does the phrase dressed to the nines come from?
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