www.alphadictionary.com

Has anyone encountered this idiom? How exactly do you avail yourself of it?

to "stand on ceremony" is to be formal and to observe all the rules of any situation. It's hard to be formal when you are a chimp.

mark standing-at-ease Bailey

In these here parts, what you stand for is what you will tolerate from others. What you stand on is what you expect from others.

Someone who stands on ceremony is only comfortable when all present observe the letter of all the applicable social laws. Ostensibly to maintain dignified interaction within and between the social classes and to preserve the decorum of momentous occasions, standing on ceremony may lead the high strung to moral rectaltude. [ahem, sic]

Someone who doesn't stand on ceremony might wear jeans with a tuxedo jacket to the Oscars (perhaps even replace it with a "tux" screen-printed t-shirt). A more mundane example is the neighbor who cheerfully serves beer without glasses or coasters and calls everyone by first name.

-gailr
who has re-purposed a few ceremonies as ottomans...

[edit]Bailey types faster than I do![/edit]

You'll note that we don't often stand on ceremony here at the AlphaAgora ...

In these here parts, what you stand for is what you will tolerate from others. What you stand on is what you expect from others.

Good analysis, although I think it's reversed. Moral high-ground being what it is.

Someone who stands on ceremony is only comfortable when all present observe the letter of all the applicable social laws. Ostensibly to maintain dignified interaction within and between the social classes and to preserve the decorum of momentous occasions, standing on ceremony may lead the high strung to moral rectaltude. [ahem, sic]

ye olde stick up the rump syndrome!

-gailr
who has re-purposed a few ceremonies as ottomans...

[edit]Bailey types faster than I do![/edit]

just quick on the typing finger [sic]

mark I've re-purposed my ceremonial gear into work clothes [we called them play clothes, oh, about 100 years ago] Bailey

You'll note that we don't often stand on ceremony here at the AlphaAgora ...

We don't often stand for it either.

You'll note that we don't often stand on ceremony here at the AlphaAgora ...

We don't often stand for it either.

This is true, when they tell us to clean up our act, we just say Ugh! ugh! ugh!...
well I do anyway.

mark king-o-de-chimps-or-is-dat-chumps? Bailey

In these here parts, what you stand for is what you will tolerate from others. What you stand on is what you expect from others.

Hmm... unless you're a short politician, in which case they mean your platform and your platform shoes respectively.

Siriusly, while "to stand on ceremony" is well known, I'm not familiar with Gailr's 2nd usage.