VOA一分钟英语 Dressed to Kill

Welcome to English in a Minute, where we teach you all about idioms in American English.

Have you ever heard someone say they were "dressed to kill," don't worry, you're not in any danger -- it's just the opposite.

A: Do you see that couple over there?

B: Yeah, it looks like they are going into that new restaurant. They look great!

A: Oh, yeah! They are dressed to kill.

In American English, "dressed to kill!" is a different way of saying "dressed very attractively" or "dressed to impress."

This phrase came from criminals...

In the past, people who were professional criminals often dressed in fancy clothing to hide the fact that they were doing horrible things.

So, if you were "dressed to kill" back then, you would be wearing a pretty nice looking outfit.

And that's English in a Minute.