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pants

Pronunciation: /pan(t)s/

Translate pants | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of pants

noun

  • 1British underpants or knickers.
  • 2chiefly North American trousers:corduroy pants (as modifier pant)wide pant legs
  • 3British informal rubbish; nonsense:he thought we were going to be absolute pants

Phrases

catch someone with their pants (or trousers) down

informal catch someone in an embarrassingly unprepared state: it’s a wonder the government hasn’t been caught with its pants down

fly (or drive) by the seat of one's pants

informal rely on instinct rather than logic or knowledge: I was flying by the seat of my pants because I’d never managed anybody before

scare (or bore etc.) the pants off someone

informal make someone extremely scared (or bored etc.): she scared the pants off all who worked with her

Origin:

mid 19th century: abbreviation of pantaloons (see pantaloon)

pants in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of pants in the US English dictionary

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