breeches

[ brich-iz, bree-chiz ]

noun

, (used with a plural verb)

1. Also called knee breeches. knee-length trousers none, trousers none, often having ornamental buckles or elaborate decoration at or near the bottoms, commonly worn by men and boys in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries.
2. riding breeches.
3. Informal. trousers none.

breeches

/ ˈbriː-; ˈbrɪtʃɪz /

plural noun

1. trousers extending to the knee or just below, worn for riding, mountaineering, etc
2. informal.
   any trousers
3. too big for one's breeches
   conceited; unduly self-confident

Word History and Origins

Origin of breeches¹

1125–75; Middle English, plural of breech none

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. too big for one's breeches, asserting oneself beyond one's authority or ability.

Example Sentences

After she dismounted from her horse, a trainer noticed a split in her riding breeches and observed: "They weren't made for women's backsides."

From BBC

Black Rod's uniform consists of black shoes, buckles, breeches and a coat, as well as silk stockings.

From BBC

In his memoir, “Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics,” Biden acknowledged discovering a polo mallet, riding breeches and other markers of a privileged life in his father’s closet.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s also not the kind of story you tell if you plan to ally yourself with the boy who fouled his breeches.

From New York Times

The laundry was hung indoors, and thirteen fireplaces were kept burning to warm the house and dry both the walls and the presidential family’s wet breeches.

From Literature

Related Words

• knickers
• shorts
• slacks
• trousers
• underpants