Definition

1. Noun:
   • A strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim: A "furbelow" is a piece of fabric, often lace or a similar material, that is gathered or pleated and attached to a garment, especially a skirt or dress, as an ornamental frill or ruffle.
   • (Often plural, "furbelows") Showy or superfluous ornamentation: The term can also refer, usually in its plural form, to any elaborate, showy, and often unnecessary decorative additions, extending beyond clothing to describe overly ornate details in other contexts.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The hem of her gown was adorned with a delicate lace furbelow.
  • The costume designer added several silk furbelows to the actress's dress for a more dramatic effect.
  • He criticized the architecture for its excessive furbelows, preferring a simpler, cleaner style.

Advanced Usage

• Used figuratively to criticize unnecessary complexity: The term is often used in a slightly negative or dismissive way to describe decorations or features considered overly elaborate, fussy, or pretentious.
  • The politician's speech was full of rhetorical furbelows but lacked substantive policy.

Variants and Related Words

• Furbelowed (adj): Adorned with furbelows or frills.
  • The furbelowed curtains looked very old-fashioned.

Synonyms

• Frill: A strip of material with many folds, used as a trim.
• Ruffle: A strip of fabric gathered or pleated on one edge, used as trimming.
• Flounce: A wide ornamental strip of material gathered and sewn to a garment.
• Trimming: Decorative addition to the edge of a garment.
• Ornamentation: Decorative elements added to something (more general).

Antonyms

• Plainness: The state of being simple and unadorned.
• Simplicity: The quality or condition of being plain or uncomplicated in form or design.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "All fur and no knickers" / "All fur coat and no knickers": (British idiom) While not containing the word "furbelow," this idiom shares a similar metaphorical concept of something being showy or fancy on the outside but lacking substance underneath, akin to criticizing mere "furbelows."

Noun

1. a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim