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Wears the pants?

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lar3ryca

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Nov 28, 2021, 11:45:26 PM11/28/21
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I don't hear it much any more, but the phrase 'wears the pants", as
evident in phrases such as:
"Who wears the pants in that family?", or
"She wears the pants in that relationship."
used to be quite common.

It made me wonder what the BrE equivalent would be, since 'pants' has
(I believe) an entirely different meaning than 'trousers'.

Athel Cornish-Bowden

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Nov 29, 2021, 2:22:59 AM11/29/21
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I think we used to say "She wears the trousers ...". Not "pants", anyway.


--
Athel -- French and British, living mainly in England until 1987.

Janet

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Nov 29, 2021, 5:33:20 AM11/29/21
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In article <1d953b67-aa5f-4a5d...@googlegroups.com>,
lar3...@gmail.com says...
In Br E usage, pants are underwear, but we recognise Americans wear
pants under and over their pants.

The Br E equivalent metaphor is "who wears the trousers".

Janet

Kerr-Mudd, John

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Nov 29, 2021, 5:53:18 AM11/29/21
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I dun agree.

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

Ken Blake

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Nov 29, 2021, 10:23:30 AM11/29/21
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On 11/29/2021 3:33 AM, Janet wrote:
> In article <1d953b67-aa5f-4a5d...@googlegroups.com>,
> lar3...@gmail.com says...
>>
>> I don't hear it much any more, but the phrase 'wears the pants", as
>> evident in phrases such as:
>> "Who wears the pants in that family?", or
>> "She wears the pants in that relationship."
>> used to be quite common.
>
>> It made me wonder what the BrE equivalent would be, since 'pants' has
>> (I believe) an entirely different meaning than 'trousers'.
>
> In Br E usage, pants are underwear, but we recognise Americans wear
> pants under and over their pants.



I was panting for expectation, waiting for someone to say that.

lar3ryca

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Nov 29, 2021, 10:46:57 AM11/29/21
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I posted the many years ago...

A friend's young daughter, who was about 6 at the time, while getting
dressed, was asked by her younger brother "Why do they call them
'undies'?" She replied, "Because they go undie your overies, silly!"

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