breeches
/'britʃiz/
Definition
Noun (plural): 1. Trousers ending above the knee: A type of garment covering the body from the waist down, with separate sections for each leg, terminating just below or above the knee. Historically, they were a common form of men's lower-body clothing, often fastened with buttons or ties below the knee. 2. Informal term for trousers or pants: In some contexts, especially informal or regional usage, "breeches" can refer to any trousers.
Examples of Usage
Advanced Usage
- To wear the breeches (idiom): To be the dominant partner in a marriage or relationship; to be in charge. This idiom originates from the historical association of trousers with male authority.
- It's clear in their household that she wears the breeches.
- Breeches buoy (noun phrase): A life-saving apparatus consisting of a pair of short breeches attached to a lifebuoy, used to transfer people from a ship to shore or between ships along a rope. (This is a specific compound term).
- Breeches part (theatrical term): A role in a play where a female actor plays a male character, typically one dressed in breeches.
- She was famous for her performance in the breeches part of Romeo.
Variants and Related Words
- Breech (noun): The back or lower part of something, such as the buttocks or the rear part of a firearm barrel. Note: "Breech" is a related but distinct word from "breeches."
- Breeching (noun, historical): 1. The strap of a harness passing behind a horse's hindquarters. 2. The ceremony of a boy first wearing breeches instead of skirts in former times.
Synonyms
- Knee breeches
- Knickerbockers (looser-fitting and baggier at the knee)
- Plus-fours (longer, extending four inches below the knee)
- Culottes (women's garments resembling a divided skirt)
Related Phrases
- Too big for one's breeches: Arrogant or conceited.
- Ever since he got promoted, he's been too big for his breeches.
- Caught with one's breeches down: To be caught unprepared or in an embarrassing situation.
- The sudden inspection caught the manager with his breeches down.
Noun
-
trousers ending above the knee
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