Bib and Tucker

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, my name’s Judy.

I’m calling you from Forestville, New York.

What’s on your mind?

So my aunt, who recently passed away, told me her husband had a saying he used to say about 55 years ago when my cousins were kids.

And he’d tell the kids to go get their bib and tucker on when he wanted to take them out to eat.

What did he mean by that?

Now, my understanding was it meant to get dressed up.

Oh, to get dressed up.

Where does this phrase come from?

And is it still used at all?

If someone told you to put your bib and tucker on, Judy, what would you do differently?

I think it would mean, you know, to get clean clothes on.

Okay.

Yeah, very fancy clothes, as a matter of fact.

Yeah, to get your bib and tucker on means to dress up in your very finest, you know, in your Sunday best.

Bib and tucker is three words, bib, like a bib that a baby wears and the word and and then tucker.

And this phrase goes back to actually the practice itself goes back to the 17th century.

We’re talking about specific clothing that was initially worn just by women and girls.

And a tucker was a bit of lace that’s worn around the neck and the top of your bodice.

And presumably it’s tucked in.

And then a bib is sort of like a shirt front.

And bib and tucker referred to a certain kind of dressy dress that women and girls would wear.

And later, this expression, bib and tucker, came to refer to men getting dressed up as well.

Men were told to put on their best bib and tucker for the evening out.

So it goes back to an old way of dressing.

It’s a great, great saying.

It’s a great phrase.

What do you like about it?

It makes me want to go get some nice clothes on or going out to eat somewhere.

Yeah, it makes me want to get out of my sweatpants.

Thank you so much for spending some time with us, Judy.

It was the first time I had heard your show, and I look forward to listening again.

Thanks for listening.

Take care of yourself.

Thanks for calling.

Thank you.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

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