Definition

Noun: 1. A stiff, detachable insert, typically starched, worn inside the front opening of a man's dress shirt to give a crisp, formal appearance. 2. The front part or panel of a shirt, especially the area visible when a jacket is not worn.

Examples of Usage

• As a detachable insert:
  • For the formal dinner, he wore a wing-collar shirt with a stiff shirtfront.
  • The antique tuxedo came with several spare shirtfronts.
• Referring to the front panel of a shirt:
  • He had spilled coffee on his shirtfront.
  • The politician's shirtfront was wrinkled from a long day of travel.

Advanced Usage

• "To have a stiff shirtfront": This can be used literally to describe the starched insert or figuratively to describe someone who is very formal, rigid, or unyielding in demeanor.
  • The old colonel had a personality as stiff as his shirtfront.

Variants and Related Words

• Bib (noun): In historical or very formal contexts (like full evening dress), the stiff shirtfront is sometimes called a "bib" or "dickey."
• Plaquet(te) (noun): The front panel of a shirt where the buttons are fastened; this is the structural part, whereas a "shirtfront" often refers to the visible surface or a separate decorative piece covering it.
• Shirt (noun): The main garment of which the shirtfront is a part.

Synonyms

• Dickey (chiefly US): A false shirtfront; a detachable insert.
• Bib: A term for the front part of a garment, sometimes used for a formal shirtfront.
• Front: A general term for the forward-facing part.

Related Phrases

• Keep a stiff upper lip and a clean shirtfront: An idiom (often humorous or archaic) emphasizing traditional values of stoic composure and neat appearance.
  • His advice to the young man was to always keep a stiff upper lip and a clean shirtfront.

Noun

1. a man's detachable insert (usually starched) to simulate the front of a shirt
2. the front of a shirt (usually the part not covered by a jacket)
   • he had spilled catsup on his shirtfront