Okay, so I'm assuming your initial reaction is hmm...I think I know this one. Those things you wear on your legs? Those are referred to as trousers in most areas of Britain (although not all...see awkward story coming up). Pants are what you wear underneath those trousers...also commonly referred to as undergarments, bloomers, pantaloons, etc.. Apparently there are areas in Britain that use pants to refer to those things you wear on your legs just like we Americans do. I've got a friend from Manchester who found out the hard way that people in Scotland mean panties when they refer to pants. He'd just moved to Edinburgh and met some new friends. They asked him if he'd like to go out with them that evening. His reply, "Sure, I just need to go home to change my pants." *Commence Awkward Staring* They thought he was very awkwardly informing them he needed to change his underwear. Moral of the story: pants don't equal trousers (everywhere).
to make it even more confusing...
ReplyDeletepants are for boys
knickers are for girls