Language & Places: The Ritz Hotel

The Ritz is a large, very expensive hotel named after the original Swiss owner, César Ritz. Several large cities including London and Paris have Ritz hotels.
The Hôtel Ritz in the heart of Paris, France, is one of the most prestigious and luxurious hotels in the world and is one of the seven recognized Parisian palace hotels. Established in 1898, it is the oldest Ritz Hotel in the world. The Ritz Hotel London is a 133-room hotel located in Piccadilly and overlooking Green Park in London.
The Ritz is also used to refer to any very luxurious and expensive establishment (usually used with a negative meaning):
This isn't the Ritz, you know.
The expression put on the Ritz (sometimes not capital) means to assume a superior air or make an ostentatious display. To put on the Ritz means to show that one is wealthy by living in a large house, giving parties, etc:
He really puts on the Ritz to impress people.
The informal adjective ritzy means luxurious or elegant. It also means glamorous, fashionable and expensive.

* Ritz Crackers

Rtiz crackers are a type of cracker (= thin biscuit) sold in boxes in the US and UK. They are designed to be eaten on their own or with a topping. They are circular in shape, salted lightly on one side, and have small scalloping around the edges. The crackers were named “Ritz” after the Ritz-Carlton hotels in the US because the name conjured up the image of wealth and glamour.

Did you know?

French fashion designer Coco Chanel died in the Hôtel Ritz Paris of a heart attack in 1971. She was 87 years old.