The Ritz is a large, very expensive hotel, named after César Ritz, the Swiss hotel man who started the famous ones. Cities such as London and Paris have Ritz hotels, and the name became a picture of high luxury. People also say “the Ritz” as a kind of joke-measure for any place that rich — “It’s not the Ritz” means a place is simple, not fancy. There is an old saying, “put on the Ritz,” meaning to dress or live in a showy, expensive way. Though actually, not every hotel with Ritz on the door is the original house; later chains borrowed the shine of the name. In English, some ordinary uses of ritz were formed back from the adjective ritzy.