Last year, we explored the expression “pants on fire,” and back in 2020 we looked into “flying by the seat of one’s pants.” Still, in the wide world of language, there always seems to be more to say about “pants.”
This is the time of year when linguists and other assorted wordies are participating in Word of the Year discussions and votes, and that's what got Professor Anne Curzan thinking about "pants." She remembered how in 2012, readers of the New Yorker voted "slacks" as the worst word in English. She also realized she's been saying "fancy pants" quite a bit lately, and she was also recently advised to be calm and "keep your pants on."
It seemed like the universe was telling us it was time to revisit this seemingly basic, unassuming word. What we found was enough to fill two segments, so this is Pants: Part One.
The story of “pants” starts with “pantaloons,” a term borrowed from Pantalone, a character from mid-1500s Italian comic theater known as commedia dell’arte. Pantalone was a foolish, greedy old man whose costume featured tight trousers under a jacket. People must've felt it was a smart look, because "pantaloons" caught on. By the 1660s, it referred to fashionable loose trousers that extended below the knee as well as close-fitting long trousers that had straps that went under the wear's boots.
By 1835, the Oxford English Dictionary had picked up "pants," a shortened version of "pantaloons." This was seen as an Americanism, but it could also be found in Australia, New Zeeland, and South Africa. At first, it applied only to men’s clothing, but by the 20th century it expanded to include women's clothing as well.
Meanwhile, in Britain, "pants" referred to what Americans think of as "underpants." That use goes back to at least the 1800s. By the 1990s, "pants" had taken on a new meaning in British slang which was "rubbish" or "nonsense." For example, you might dismiss someone's terrible idea by calling it "a pile of pants."
There are more delightful pants expressions including "fancy pants" and "smarty pants." To hear our discussion on those phrases and more, listen to the audio above. And be sure to listen next week for Pants: The Sequel.
