dress down

To wear clothes that are less formal than usual or than people expect.

• We dress down on Fridays.
• She dressed down for the family lunch.
• Is it acceptable to dress down for this meeting?

How to use it: dress down for something (You can dress down for the office picnic.)

Similar words: dress casually

Opposites: dress up

Common phrases: dress down today, dress down for work

To speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong.

• The boss dressed me down.
• She dressed down the team for missing the deadline.
• He was dressed down in front of his colleagues.

How to use it: dress someone down for something (The manager dressed him down for arriving late.)

Similar words: scold, tell off, reprimand

Opposites: praise

Common phrases: dress someone down, dress down someone

To remove the insides, head, and bones of a caught fish to prepare it for eating.

• We dressed down the fish on the boat.
• He showed me how to dress a trout down.
• They dressed down their catch before cooking it.

How to use it: dress down a fish / dress a fish down (The fisherman dressed down the fish before selling them.)

Similar words: clean, gut

Common phrases: dress down fish, dress something down