1. bells and whistles - Noun
2. bells and whistles - Phrase
bells and whistles pl (plural only)
(idiomatic) Extra features added for show rather than function; fancy additions or features.
Synonyms: gadgetry, trivialities, frills and furbelows
Antonyms: plain, no-frills, normal, ordinary, simple, unadorned
His new car has all the bells and whistles, but it doesn't move through traffic jams any faster.
The bells and whistles do not impress me.
I need a new phone, but I don’t want all those fancy bells and whistles on it!
A lot of other people wanted a free production UNIX with lots of bells and whistles and wanted to convert MINIX into that. I was dragged along in the maelstrom for a while, but when Linux came along, I was actually relieved that I could go back to professoring. Andrew S. Tanenbaum
The Apple has the fewest bells and whistles. It has simple sound and few graphics special effects. In a way, that is a weakness because markets for the other machines are getting bigger. Bill Budge
Why did they keep changing guitars and amplifiers when they were perfect? They did the same things with cars, if you ask me. They forgot how to make them right, because they focused on style and bells and whistles. Buddy Guy
A great commotion immobilized her in her center of gravity, planted her in her place, and her defensive will was demolished by the irresistible anxiety to discover what the orange bells and whistles and the invisible globes on the other side of death were like. Gabriel García Márquez
Like, when I write a song, the song comes first before production. Everything is written on an acoustic guitar so you can strip away everything from it and have it be equally as entertaining and good without the bells and whistles. Taylor Momsen
Don't get tricked into trusting your spiritual bells and whistles or you might become too slick, lose your edge, then lose it. Craig Groeschel