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to the nines

prepositional phrase

To perfection; fully, wholly.

Similar

all the way from soup to nuts in excelsis to the backbone to the bone to the brim to the core to the fullest

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Meanings

prepositional phrase

To perfection; fully, wholly.
Synonyms: all the way, from soup to nuts, in excelsis, to the backbone, to the bone, to the brim, to the core, to the fullest

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseTo perfection; fully, wholly.

Similar

all the way from soup to nuts in excelsis to the backbone to the bone to the brim to the core to the fullest to the full to the gills to the gunnels to the hilt to the marrow to the max to the nth degree to the tonsils to the top of one's bent top to bottom up to eleven

Also see

to the backbone to the bone to the brim to the core to the full to the gills to the gunnels to the hilt to the max to the nth degree to the tonsils to the top of one's bent up to eleven

Origin

From Scots, perhaps a rebracketing of to then eyne (“to the eyes”) or to thyn eyne (“(up) to your eyes”).

Full word history & related roots →

Cite this entry

APA

to the nines. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to%20the%20nines

MLA

“to the nines.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to%20the%20nines. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “to the nines,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to%20the%20nines.

Source: to the nines on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.