Clothing Query (for story).

[MT1966]

This may sound like a stupid question but what is the female equivalent of the word trousers. The only word I know is 'slacks" but I am not certain if it used or recognized in all countries. Is there another word other than 'slacks' as I can't really use trousers in the case of a female.


Thanks

 

[oggbashan]

You have a problem. There is no word that is current in all English speaking countries.

Pants can be US usage, but in the UK that translates as underwear.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trousers

 

[sr71plt]

"Slacks" is best, I think, although men can wear slacks too.

 

[beachbum1958]

This may sound like a stupid question but what is the female equivalent of the word trousers. The only word I know is 'slacks" but I am not certain if it used or recognized in all countries. Is there another word other than 'slacks' as I can't really use trousers in the case of a female.


Thanks

Culottes? Leggings? Jeggings? Pants? Clam Diggers? Jodhpurs? My American wife uses all of these, depending on what style they are and what she's wearing them for - if she wants to look slinky, she wears skin-tight leggings and heels, or sprayed-on Jeggings (leggings styled to look like jeans) and ankle boots, when she's riding she wears jodhpurs with riding boots, and for lazing around and being casual in the house, she wears Clam Diggers with harem slippers or gladiator sandals. Formal trousers are just 'pants' to her, and loose-fitting, wide legged evening trousers are Culottes. I don't think there is actually any word in general use that is the feminine of 'trousers', but I could be wrong.

 

[lovecraft68]

Slacks works, you can also have her in 'jeans' that's fairly universal I think.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

In the '50s women would have been wearing pedal pushers. Today they are called something completely different...floods maybe. Capri pants. That's it.

But pants or slacks are most common names for what woman wear other than a skirt or dress.

 

[MT1966]

Thanks for all the quick replies!

 

[NOIRTRASH]

Ask Hillary

trousers (n.) Look up trousers at Dictionary.com"garment for men, covering the lower body and each leg separately," 1610s, earlier trouzes (1580s), extended from trouse (1570s), with plural ending typical of things in pairs, from Gaelic or Middle Irish triubhas "close-fitting shorts," of uncertain origin. Early recorded use of the word indicates the garment was regarded as Celtic: "A jellous wife was like an Irish trouze, alwayes close to a mans tayle" [1630]. The unexplained intrusive second -r- is perhaps by influence of drawers or other words in pairs ending in -ers.


pantaloons (n.) Look up pantaloons at Dictionary.com1660s, "kind of tights" (originally a French fashion and execrated as such by late 17c. English writers), associated with Pantaloun (1580s), silly old man character in Italian comedy who wore tight trousers over his skinny legs, from Italian Pantalone, originally San Pantaleone, Christian martyr, a popular saint in Venice (Pantaleone in the comedies represents the Venetian). The name is of Greek origin and means "all-compassionate" (or, according to Klein, "entirely lion"). Applied to tight long trousers (replacing knee-breeches) by 1798; pants is a shortened form first recorded 1840.

breeches (n.) Look up breeches at Dictionary.comc. 1200, a double plural, from Old English brec "breeches," which already was plural of broc "garment for the legs and trunk," from Proto-Germanic *brokiz (cognates: Old Norse brok, Dutch broek, Danish brog, Old High German bruoh, German Bruch, obsolete since 18c. except in Swiss dialect), perhaps from PIE root *bhreg- (see break (v.)). The Proto-Germanic word is a parallel form to Celtic *bracca, source (via Gaulish) of Latin braca (aource of French braies), and some propose that the Germanic word group is borrowed from Gallo-Latin, others that the Celtic was from Germanic.

Expanded sense of "part of the body covered by breeches, posterior" led to senses in childbirthing (1670s) and gunnery ("the part of a firearm behind the bore," 1570s). As the popular word for "trousers" in English, displaced in U.S. c. 1840 by pants. The Breeches Bible (Geneva Bible of 1560) so called on account of rendition of Gen. iii:7 (already in Wyclif) "They sewed figge leaues together, and made themselues breeches."

Looks like trousers came first, followed by the tighter pantaloons, then the form fitting britches.

 

[sr71plt]

That was typically "helpful." The first reference ("trousers") specifies it's for men and the OP is specifically asking about women. The rest of it isn't usable either.

 

[oggbashan]

Pants, as a word for trousers for women, causes a snigger in the UK. But, to be contradictory and just to show how odd English can be - a 'trouser suit' is women's wear.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multimedia/archive/00376/TMM26LAURA1_a_376083k.jpg

'Fanny pack' causes more amusement, because fanny = vagina. Someone wearing a fanny pack is assumed to have a sex toy shoved inside.

If you really want to avoid confusion, only women wear skirts. Scotsmen wear kilts. They are NOT skirts.

 

[timelord1963]

Uk

Trousers is the UK/Europe version of the US slacks. They are not jeans. It is not a gender specific item but a geographic one. Of course, if the Trousers and the jacket matched it would be a suit.

 

[Erochic]

'Fanny pack' causes more amusement, because fanny = vagina. Someone wearing a fanny pack is assumed to have a sex toy shoved inside.

I'll never forget my shock when I was visiting the US and was told by this guy that I had a "cute fanny pack"

Poor man - after I hissed "WHAT did you say?" He quickly reassured me that whatever I thought he said, he certainly hadn't said anything bad... And there had been some miscommunication"

If you really want to avoid confusion, only women wear skirts. Scotsmen wear kilts. They are NOT skirts.

Hmm... I did see a man rocking a kilt like garment that wasn't actually actually made of tartan. It was made of a material similar to a lightish denim, was slate gray and looked really hot (it helped that he was built and had fabulous legs and a mane of hair) .... Was that a kilt or a skirt?

 

[timelord1963]

Generic

If you are looking for generic you can use pant suit or dress pants for the higher class women, there is also the styles and cuts you can use. Just like women's knickers can be described as control top, boy shorts, bikini, hipster (or hip hugger), thong, g-string and v-string plus a few hybrids depending on the store.


Remember, if it is high end, you can just use the designer name and people will know you are talking big $$$.

 

[oggbashan]

Hmm... I did see a man rocking a kilt like garment that wasn't actually actually made of tartan. It was made of a material similar to a lightish denim, was slate gray and looked really hot (it helped that he was built and had fabulous legs and a mane of hair) .... Was that a kilt or a skirt?

Scottish soldiers in action can wear a plain kilt cover:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/92/a2/77/92a2776a651dfe471eb472ebad0bbf67.jpg

Kilts do not have to be in tartan/plaid but they should be worn 'commando' i.e. with no undergarment.

Modern work kilts exist. They are NOT skirts:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/d5/12/3a/d5123adc78613eed842c8218c3897f68.jpg

In the street, modern kilts should be worn with a jacket, tie and long socks:

http://cdn.modeconnect.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Howie-Nicholsby-21-Century-Kilt-Top-image.png

It takes a strong self image to wear a kilt in public unless you are a Scot. Then it's "In your face, Jimmy!".

 

[Penuche]

This may sound like a stupid question but what is the female equivalent of the word trousers. <snip>

Trousers. It might work better if you say what type they are - capri pants, tweeds, baggs, cigarette pants, palazzos, culottes, skin tight jeans, chinos, jodphurs, jeggings, leggings, yoga pants, jogging bottoms...

To me (and I'm in my late 40s) "slacks" is a very oldfashioned word, even my parents didn't use it.

 

[49greg]

In the '50s women would have been wearing pedal pushers. Today they are called something completely different...floods maybe. Capri pants. That's it.

But pants or slacks are most common names for what woman wear other than a skirt or dress.

I think "Clam Diggers" are the modern equivalent of "Pedal Pushers"/"Capris". But I'm no authority, just what I've heard my better half say.

 

[Penuche]

I think "Clam Diggers" are the modern equivalent of "Pedal Pushers"/"Capris". <snip>

Not entirely, there are differences in the cut and leg length.

http://dorkusamericanus.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/difference-between-capri-pants-crop.html