put on the dog

idiomatic phrase

chiefly US, informal + old-fashioned

: to make a showy display : to pretend that one is very stylish or rich

They really put on the dog for their daughter's wedding.

We always had a Saturday night party when Aunt Lizzie came. That gave her a chance to visit those she had grown up with, and as Father said, to show off, and put on the dog, and generally to show how well she had done since she left Renfrew County.

—Mary Cook

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above