soup-and-fish

A couple wears their soup-and-fish to a formal dinner.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Formal evening attire: "soup-and-fish" is a colloquial term, primarily used in American English, for formal evening wear, typically a tuxedo or dinner jacket. It refers to the kind of clothing worn to a formal dinner where soup and fish might be served.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He put on his soup-and-fish for the gala. (He wore his formal evening attire to the formal event.)
  • The invitation specified "soup-and-fish" for the dress code. (The invitation required formal wear.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be dressed in soup-and-fish": to be wearing formal evening attire.
  • All the guests were dressed in soup-and-fish for the charity ball. (All guests wore tuxedos or formal evening clothes.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tuxedo (n): a formal suit for men, typically black, worn at evening events.
  • He rented a tuxedo for the wedding. (He rented a formal suit.)
• Dinner jacket (n): a jacket worn as part of men's formal evening wear.
  • The dinner jacket was tailored perfectly. (The formal jacket fit well.)

Synonyms

• Formal wear: clothing specifically designed for formal occasions.
• Evening dress: attire worn in the evening for formal events.
• Black tie: a dress code requiring a tuxedo or similar formal wear.

Idioms

• "In one's soup-and-fish": dressed in formal evening attire.
  • He arrived at the opera in his soup-and-fish. (He arrived wearing his formal evening clothes.)