as bright as Dick's hatband
- idiom
- Archaic
- Her dress was as bright as Dick's hatband!
Examples
-
She wore a jacket as bright as Dick's hatband, attracting everyone's attention.
-
The decorations at the party were as bright as Dick's hatband this year.
-
His tie was so colorful that it was as bright as Dick's hatband.
-
The fireworks were as bright as Dick's hatband last night.
-
The flowers in the garden were as bright as Dick's hatband, creating a stunning display.
-
His sneakers were as bright as Dick's hatband, which made him stand out on the basketball court.
-
The new painting was as bright as Dick's hatband, filling the gallery with vibrant colors.
Synonyms
257
1.0
Having a strong, vivid color that is easy to notice
60
4.1
Very bright or showy in a way that attracts attention
43
1.0
A very strong red colour that is easy to see
38
4.1
Very bright light that makes it hard to see
35
4.4
Bright in color and showy
17
1.0
A very strong yellow color that is easy to see
16
1.2
A thing that has strong, vivid colors
14
3.0
Very bright and strong in color
11
4.8
A bright, showy look that tries to impress people
11
7.9
Bright and beautiful in a way that looks impressive
6
3.8
A very bright light that hurts your eyes
6
7.5
Full of strong feeling or passion
3
3.1
So bright that it is hard to see
1
1.0
A very bright red color like fresh raspberries
1
9.5
Having strong color or much light
1
4.4
Light that is too strong and makes it hard to see
Bright and a little showy in appearance
Antonyms
How Bright
Surface Forms
Morphology
as + bright + as + Dick's + hatband
The simile follows the fully compositional pattern 'as bright as X' where 'bright' (vivid, intense coloration) is directly compared to a concrete item 'hatband' (a decorative strip around a hat); a B1 learner who knows these words will infer it means very bright or showy. The proper name 'Dick's' only identifies the referent and does not change the compositional meaning, and comparative simile patterns are cross-linguistically common, so the expression is readily understandable from its parts.
Etymology
As bright as Dick's hatband may come from a picture of a man called Dick who wore a very shiny, colorful hatband that everyone noticed. That's why the phrase is used to mean 'extremely bright or showy'.