Dressed To The Nines. Secondly, dressed to the nines developed as an extension of the much earlier phrase to the nines, meaning 'to perfection, to the greatest degree': Synonyms for dressed to the nines.
Dressed to the nines also, * up to the nines. It is first recorded in the penny wedding, published in the herald (new york) of 11th march 1837: Dressed to the nines, also put as dressed up to the nines, is british in origin and literally means elaborately dressed to perfection.
