clotheshorse

[ klohz-hawrs, klohthz- ]

noun

1. Informal. a person whose chief interest and pleasure is dressing fashionably.
2. a frame on which to hang wet laundry for drying.

clotheshorse

/ ˈkləʊðzˌhɔːs /

noun

1. a frame on which to hang laundry for drying or airing
2. informal.
   a dandy

Word History and Origins

Origin of clotheshorse¹

First recorded in 1765–75; clothes + horse

Example Sentences

As flattering as that pale purple may be on her, she’s much happier to let her guests’ ensembles, especially noted clotheshorse Kim, in a sweeping chiffon skirt and little white gloves, provide the fashion credentials.

From Washington Post

Clare’s interactions with the women in her life are playful and sympathetic even as she discovers that her ethics separate her from these clotheshorses.

From Los Angeles Times

As a clotheshorse, he had certain natural advantages, of course.

From New York Times

I used to be something of a casual clotheshorse, an obsessive buyer of T-shirts, baseball caps, socks and Adidas sneakers.

From New York Times

Nancy Reagan famously used a surprise turn on the Gridiron stage to mock her image as a designer clotheshorse by performing “Second Hand Rose” while wearing secondhand clothes.

From Washington Post