play it close to the vest
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noun
1.
a close-fitting, waist-length, sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, designed to be worn under a jacket.
2.
3.
a waist-length garment worn for protective purposes: a bulletproof vest.
4.
a sleeveless, waist- or hip-length garment made of various materials, with a front opening usually secured by buttons, a zipper, or the like, worn over a shirt, blouse, dress, or other article for style or warmth: a sweater vest; a down vest.
5.
British. an undervest or undershirt.
verb (used with object)
8.
to clothe; dress; robe.
9.
to dress in ecclesiastical vestments: to vest a bishop.
10.
to cover or drape (an altar).
11.
to place or settle (something, especially property, rights, powers, etc.) in the possession or control of someone (usually followed by in ): to vest authority in a new official.
12.
to invest or endow (a person, group, committee, etc.) with something, as powers, functions, or rights: to vest the board with power to increase production; to vest an employee with full benefits in the pension plan.
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Play it close to the vest
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
verb (used without object)
Idioms 13.
to put on vestments.
14.
to become vested in a person, as a right.
15.
to devolve upon a person as possessor; pass into possession or ownership.
16.
play it close to the vest, Informal. to avoid taking unnecessary risks.
Origin:
1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English < Italian veste robe, dress < Latin vestis garment; (v.) late Middle English < Middle French vestir < Latin vestīre to clothe, derivative of vestis; akin to wear
1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English < Italian veste robe, dress < Latin vestis garment; (v.) late Middle English < Middle French vestir < Latin vestīre to clothe, derivative of vestis; akin to wear
Related forms
vest·less, adjective
vest·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To play it close to the vest
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World English Dictionary
vest (vɛst) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | T-shirt, US and Canadian equivalent: undershirt, Austral equivalent: singlet an undergarment covering the body from the shoulders to the hips, made of cotton, nylon, etc |
| 2. | Austral equivalent: singlet a similar sleeveless garment worn as outerwear |
| 3. | (US), (Canadian), (Austral) Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): waistcoat a man's sleeveless waistlength garment worn under a suit jacket, usually buttoning up the front |
| 4. | obsolete any form of dress, esp a long robe |
| —vb (foll by in) (foll by with) | |
| 5. | to place or settle (power, rights, etc, in): power was vested in the committee |
| 6. | to bestow or confer (on): the company was vested with authority |
| 7. | ( |
| 8. | (tr) to clothe or array |
| 9. | (intr) to put on clothes, ecclesiastical vestments, etc |
| [C15: from Old French vestir to clothe, from Latin vestīre, from vestis clothing] | |
| 'vestless | |
| —adj | |
| 'vestlike | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
vest
c.1425, "to put in possession of a person," from M.Fr. vestir, from M.L. vestire "to put into possession, to invest," from L. vestire "to clothe," related to vestis "garment, clothing," from PIE *wes- "to clothe" (see wear). Vested "established, secured, settled" is attested from 1766.
vest
1613, "loose outer garment" (worn by men in Eastern countries or in ancient times), from Fr. veste, from It. vesta, veste "robe, gown," from L. vestis, from vestire "to clothe" (see vest (v.)). The sleeveless garment worn by men beneath the coat was introduced by Charles II.
"The King hath yesterday, in Council, declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes .... It will be a vest, I know not well how; but it is to teach the nobility thrift." [Pepys, "Diary," Oct. 8, 1666]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
vest definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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