pants

pants
pants (n.) 1840, see PANTALOONS (Cf. pantaloons). Colloquial singular pant is attested from 1893. To wear the pants "be the dominant member of a household" is first attested 1931. To do something by the seat of (one's) pants "by human instinct" is from 1942, originally of pilots, perhaps with some notion of being able to sense the condition and situation of the plane by engine vibrations, etc.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • pants — In BrE pants (plural noun) means ‘underpants’, whereas in AmE it means ‘trousers or slacks’. The distinction can cause problems: • I heard an American student at Cambridge University telling some English friends how he climbed over a locked gate… …   Modern English usage

  • pants — ► PLURAL NOUN 1) Brit. underpants or knickers. 2) chiefly N. Amer. trousers. 3) Brit. informal rubbish; nonsense. ● catch someone with their pants (or trousers) down Cf. ↑catch someone with their trousers down ● …   English terms dictionary

  • pants — [ pænts ] noun plural ** 1. ) AMERICAN a piece of clothing that covers your body from your waist to your ANKLES and has a separate part for each leg: TROUSERS 2. ) BRITISH UNDERPANTS beat the pants off INFORMAL 1. ) to defeat an opponent easily 2 …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • pants — /pants/, n. (used with a pl. v.) 1. trousers (def. 1). 2. underpants, esp. for women and children; panties. 3. Brit. men s underpants, esp. long drawers. 4. wear the pants, to have the dominant role; be in charge: I guess we know who wears the… …   Universalium

  • pants — n. 1. n. pl. A garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately. Syn: trousers. [WordNet 1.6] 2. Underpants. Syn: drawers. [PJC] 3. Specifically: Underpants worn by women; panties. Syn: bloomers, drawers,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pants — ☆ pants [pants ] pl.n. [abbrev. of PANTALOONS] 1. an outer garment extending from the waist to the knees or ankles and divided into separate coverings for the legs: more formally called trousers 2. drawers or panties: As an adjective or in… …   English World dictionary

  • Pants — (short for “pantaloons”) may refer to the following:* Trousers (North American English), an outer garment covering the lower half of the body, encasing each leg separately * Underpants (British English), an undergarment covering the genital… …   Wikipedia

  • pants — (ingl.; Guat., Méj.) m. *Chándal …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • pants — s.m.pl. ES ingl. {{wmetafile0}} TS abbigl. pantaloncini corti, spec. da donna {{line}} {{/line}} DATA: 1971. ETIMO: propr. accorc. di pantaloons pantaloni …   Dizionario italiano

  • pants — /pænts/ s. ingl. [propr., accorc. di pantaloons pantaloni ], usato in ital. al masch. pl. (abbigl.) [pantaloni corti] ▶◀ [➨ pantaloncino] …   Enciclopedia Italiana

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