nine [OE] All of our main number words go back to the most ancient times. Nine is Old English but can be traced back to a root that was shared by Latin novem and Greek ennea. The phrase dressed up to the nines dates from the early 18th century. At first it meant ‘to perfection, to the greatest degree’, but by the mid 19th century was particularly associated with smart dress, as in ‘When she’s dressed up to the nines for some grand party’ (Thomas Hardy, 1896). One theory is that it comes from the name of the 99th Wiltshire Regiment, known as the Nines, which was famous for its smart appearance. But their reputation seems to have dated from the 1850s, which means that it is unlikely to account for this much earlier phrase. See also talk.