Word Story 1:

With Bells On
Meaning: Eager; ready to participate.
Origin: This phrase is frequently used in reply to a party invitation and the common format in that case is to indicate one's enthusiasm with 'I'll be there with bells on!’ The phrase originated in the late 19th/early 20th centuries and most of the early citations of it suggest a US origin. The first record of it found in print is in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and the Damned, 1922:   "All-ll-ll righty. I'll be there with bells!"
The phrase is paralleled in the UK by 'with knobs on', which means, 'with additional ornament'. Whilst 'with bells on' is largely reserved as being an enthusiastic response or as indicating additional ornament, both it and 'with (brass) knobs on' are also used as aggressive responses to a challenge. One might hear all of these in conversation - or rather one might have heard, as all versions are now falling out of use.
The knobs in the above reference are fairly easy to identify. The allusion is to the iron bedsteads which were commonplace items of furniture at the time the term was coined. The better class examples were embellished with brass knobs at the top of each bedpost.
The 'bells' derivation is often used to indicate ornament or exuberance, as in the late 20th century phrase 'bells and whistles'. The explanation most often put forward as the source of the bells in 'with bells on' is that they were those worn as part of jesters' costumes. The 'going to a party' scenario certainly fits with that. However, the distance in time and place between the world of mediaeval court jesters and the emergence of the phrase in 20th century USA tends to call that explanation into question. A stronger contender comes from the settlement of US immigrants in Pennsylvania and other states. Their preferred means of transport were large, sturdy wooden carts, called Conestoga wagons. These were drawn by teams of horses or mules whose collars were fitted with headdresses of bells.
George Stumway, in Conestoga Wagon 1750-1850, states that the wagoners personalised the bells to tunings of their liking and took great pride in them. If a wagon became stuck, a teamster who came to the rescue often asked for a set of bells as reward. Arriving at a destination without one's bells hurt a driver's professional pride, whereas getting there 'with bells on' was a source of satisfaction.
In Context:  I will happily come to dinner with bells on tomorrow night!
Think About It: Each school year is an opportunity put bells on your participation in class!