Birthday Suit
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
He was in his birthday suit. Quite nude, as when born.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Birthday Suit” mean?
He was in his birthday suit. Quite nude, as when born.
Is “Birthday Suit” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.