What does the expression belts and suspenders mean?

What does the expression belts and suspenders mean?

The phrase belt and suspenders has been used to describe bankers who demand that loan policies be adhered to very strictly. More generally, it describes an attitude of wanting several layers of safety procedures in place for minimizing risk.

How do you use suspenders and belts in a sentence?

Here are some example sentences in which the phrase is used: “We understand that we’re going to receive an opinion of counsel that our course of conduct is legal, but we’d really like to have a Directors and Officers Insurance Policy in place as a belt-and-suspenders plan.”

Is belt and braces a metaphor?

Belts and braces (a.k.a. bracers) are meant to hold one’s trousers up. Going ‘belt and braces’ is a double insurance against having them fall down. The figurative use, as a general term for cautiousness, was coined around the mid-20th century in the UK.

Where does the expression belt and suspenders come from?

Origin: First found in print in 1935 in the Galveston Daily News, where the ‘News Behind the News’ column states: “A pessimist wears both belt and suspenders.” Today, the phrase “belt and suspenders,” is used mainly in business and law when two strategies are used to minimize the risk that would be exist should only …

Are you supposed to wear a belt with suspenders?

Do you wear a belt with suspenders? Absolutely not. Here’s why: Although it is acceptable to wear the straps on trousers with belt loops (although for a more sophisticated look, without belt loops is better), it is absolutely not tolerated to wear suspenders with a belt.

Should a man wear suspenders and a belt?

Suspenders hold your trousers up. So do belts. Therefore, you don’t need both. More importantly, you don’t want to wear both — not only is it an obvious fashion error, it creates three sides of a square around the middle of your body.

Why are suspenders called braces?

In the early 1820s, British designer Albert Thurston began to manufacture the first known modern day suspenders (known as “braces” in Britain). The fashion of the day dictated that men wear high-waisted pants — so high-waisted, in fact, that a belt could not actually be used to hold them up.

What does bib and braces mean?

noun. a work garment consisting of trousers and an upper front part supported by straps over the shoulders.

Can a man wear suspenders and a belt?

What does the British expression belt and braces mean?

[British] a situation in which you do something extra in order to make sure that something is safe or works properly. He described airport security as a belt and braces approach, at huge cost to industry. Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary.