dress down

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dress down

Employees dress down on casual Fridays.

Definition
  1. Verb (transitive):
    • To reprimand, scold, or criticize someone severely and angrily.
    • To dress in a casual, informal manner.
Usage
  • The verb "dress down" is separable. You can say "dress someone down" or "dress down someone" (though the former is more common).
  • When used in the sense of reprimanding, it is often followed by the person being criticized.
  • When used in the sense of casual attire, it is often used intransitively (e.g., "We can dress down on Fridays").
Examples
  • Verb (Reprimand):
    • The manager dressed down the entire team for the missed deadline.
    • She was dressed down by her professor for plagiarizing the essay.
  • Verb (Casual Attire):
    • The company policy allows employees to dress down on the last Friday of every month.
    • For the picnic, we're all going to dress down in jeans and t-shirts.
Advanced Usage
  • "to give someone a dressing-down" (noun): A severe reprimand or scolding.
    • After the security breach, the IT staff received a severe dressing-down from the director.
  • The phrase can imply a formal or official reprimand, often from a person in authority.
Variants and Related Words
  • Dressing-down (n): A severe reprimand.
    • His mistake earned him a lengthy dressing-down.
  • Underdress (v): A synonym for dressing casually, though less common.
  • Scold (v), Reprimand (v), Berate (v): Synonyms for the act of criticizing severely.
Synonyms
  • Reprimand: To express formal disapproval.
  • Berate: To scold or criticize angrily.
  • Chastise: To reprimand severely.
  • Tell off (informal): To scold someone.
  • Casual Friday (n): A specific day for dressing informally at work.
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Tell off: To scold or reprimand someone (similar in meaning to the reprimand sense).
    • His mother told him off for coming home late.
  • Chew out (informal): To reprimand someone harshly.
    • The coach chewed out the player for missing practice.
Related Idioms
  • Read the riot act: To give someone a severe warning or reprimand.
    • The teacher read the riot act to the class after the prank.
  • Give someone a piece of one's mind: To express one's anger or criticism frankly.
    • She gave the rude customer a piece of her mind.
dress down

Employees dress down on casual Fridays.

Verb
  1. dress informally and casually
    • On Fridays, employees can underdress
  2. censure severely or angrily
    • The mother scolded the child for entering a stranger's car
    • The deputy ragged the Prime Minister
    • The customer dressed down the waiter for bringing cold soup

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