prink
verb

- spend time making minor adjustments to one's appearance

- to dress, groom, or decorate (someone or something) in a careful and showy manner

Oxford English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

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WORD ORIGIN

The verb "prink" first appeared in English in the 16th century (circa 1520-30) and is believed to be a variant of the older word "prank" (to dress ostentatiously or show off).

Both words likely derive from Middle Dutch pronken meaning "to show off, to strut.” The Dutch word pronk means "show, display, or ostentation."

Initially, "prink" meant "to dress for show" or "to deck oneself out." Over time, it specialized to refer specifically to the act of preening, adorning, or beautifying oneself. It carries connotations of vanity or fastidiousness in self-presentation.

Modern Dutch pronken still means "to show off" or "to flaunt"

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DRESSED TO EXPRESS

“I’m not a fashionista, I’m an artist. Prinking is my canvas.” Lady Gaga

“Elegance is the only beauty that never fades.” Audrey Hepburn

“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.” Coco Chanel

“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” Marilyn Monroe

“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” Rachel Zoe

“One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.” Oscar Wilde

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SYNONYMS

adorn (oneself), beautify, bedeck, bedizen, bling up, brush up, buff and polish, dandify, deck out, doll up, dress to impress, dress to kill, dress to the nines, fix one’s face, get all dolled up, get gussied/prettied/spruced/tarted up, glam/gloss up, groom, make oneself pretty, make up, paint one’s face, posh up, powder one's nose, preen, pretty oneself up, primp, PRINK, puff up, put on one's best bib and tucker, put on the ritz, slick/smarten/snazz/spruce/tart/tidy up, wash and brush up

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“Do you ever PRINK before a Zoom call,… or do you trust the blur filter?”

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