time he knows that he needs to search every corner of his house and every conceivable place of concealment in order to catch Falstaff in the act.
Incidentally, Ford’s proverbial or metaphorical line about the coat can be literally applied to Falstaff. The fat knight’s entire suit of clothes was ruined when he was thrown into the ditch. Falstaff was visually a disgrace. His appearance was dishonorable. For Falstaff that is all the more humiliating since he is an aristocrat.