plus fours

plural noun

1. long, baggy knickers for men, introduced before World War I and worn until the 1930s for sports activities, especially golf.

plus fours

plural noun

1. men's baggy knickerbockers reaching below the knee, now only worn for hunting, golf, etc

Other Words From

• plus-foured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plus fours¹

First recorded in 1915–20; so called because four inches are added to the length of ordinary knickers to give the desired looseness

Word History and Origins

Origin of plus fours¹

C20: so called because the trousers are made with four inches of material to hang over at the knee

Example Sentences

It was yellow slickers with writing on the back, college pennants, and plus fours.

From Literature

"There has been some great style, even going way back to plus fours," Scott said.

From Golf Digest

Payne Stewart, who competed in NFL-licensed plus fours and golf shirts, wisely refrained from wearing Giants or Jets gear at the U.S.

From Golf Digest

Those plus fours from the 1930s had already run their course a decade later, and the oversized shirts Fred Couples sported in the early '90s now look like intricately-designed pillow cases.

From Golf Digest

Sarazen, a go-his-own-way type who continued to wear plus fours when all the other guys had switched to pants, called his deuce a “dodo,” the flightless and extinct bird from the island of Mauritius.

From Golf Digest