Definition

Noun: * Bell-bottom pants: A style of trousers that are fitted at the waist and hips but become significantly wider from the knee down, flaring out at the bottom hem. This style was originally part of naval uniforms and became a major fashion trend in the 1960s and 1970s.

Usage

• The term is used as a countable noun, typically in the plural form "bell-bottom pants" or informally as "bell-bottoms."
• It describes a specific historical and stylistic category of clothing.

Examples

• Noun:
  • In the 1970s, almost everyone owned a pair of bell-bottom pants.
  • The sailor's uniform included classic bell-bottom pants.
  • Fashion from that era is known for its bell-bottom pants and psychedelic prints.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used attributively (like an adjective) to describe other nouns.
  • She has a great bell-bottom style.
  • The store specializes in bell-bottom jeans.

Variants and Related Words

• Bell-bottoms (n., plural): A common shortened, informal form.
  • He dug his old bell-bottoms out of the attic.
• Flared trousers/pants (n.): A more general descriptive term for pants that widen at the bottom.
• Wide-leg pants (n.): A broader category that includes, but is not limited to, the distinct flare of bell-bottoms.

Synonyms

• Flares
• Flared trousers

Antonyms

• Straight-leg pants
• Skinny jeans
• Tapered trousers

Related Phrases/Idioms

• (To be) behind the times / old-fashioned: Bell-bottoms are so strongly associated with a specific era that they can be used as a symbol of dated fashion.
  • Those bell-bottoms are so 1970s; wearing them now might make you look behind the times.
• (To have) a comeback / retro revival: Used when discussing the cyclical nature of fashion.
  • I heard bell-bottom pants are making a comeback this season.

Noun

1. trousers with legs that flare; worn by sailors; absurdly wide hems were fashionable in the 1960s