Is that slacks is ( slack ) while trousers is an article of clothing that covers the part of the body between the waist and the ankles, and is divided into a separate part for each leg. Is ( slack ). (pluralonly) Casual trousers. (Takes a plural verb even when singular, may be referred to as a pair of slacks).
Slacks, of course, are pants. But so are jeans, khakis, chinos, and (hopefully) the bottom half of your suit. All of these items also fall under the category of “trousers,” which is the favorable term for “pants” said by our UK neighbors across the pond.
When I was researching we ran into the query “What is the difference between slacks and suit pants?”.
Slacks implies pants of certain materials which are not part of a suit (jeans are not slacks, and you would not refer to the pair of trousers that came with a suit as “slacks”.) It is also more common to use “slacks” to refer to pants worn by women, while men would wear “trousers”.
I have always thought of trousers as part of a suit or uniform. Slacks look the same as suit trousers because they are made of more formal material, but are purchased separately. They would be worn alone or with a sportcoat. Pants are everything else, corderoys, chinos, jeans, and other less formal styles.
So, what is the difference between slacks and trousers and kahki?
Both sides wear “kahki’s” (pronounced, pace my American cousins, “carkeys” note. There is actually no difference among the three. Slacks and trousers are both type of pants. Trousers are usually what men’s pants are referred to, while slacks is a term usually used for women’s pants.
Are slacks formal or informal pants?
Some style guides suggest that slacks are only formal pants, while others say that slacks are completely different from the type of pants that come with a suit or other formal wear. Going back to the Oxford English Dictionary to resolve the debate, we learn that slacks are “loosely-cut trousers for informal wear.”.
Pants, from the French pantalon, derived from the Commedia de l’Arte character Pantalone who wore tight trousers over his skinny legs, defines boxer shorts in Britain and is the American word for Trousers. Slacks, from the Old Saxon slak, refers to pants or trousers that are not tight.
Why are pants called slacks?
The term “slacks” dates back to the mid-16th century when sailors were working on a ship with sails. The ropes that held up their pants became known as slacks because they were slack when the sailors weren’t working but taut and tight when they were at work.
What does slacks mean?
Slacks, from the Old Saxon slak, refers to pants or trousers that are not tight. Slacks is used for casual dress pants and for pants worn by women.
That’s because this word used to refer to the seat of your pants, presumably because sitting down multiple times stresses the fabric here and can make it loose or slack. This is an archaic word, however, and “slacks” has not been used to refer to this since the late 1800s.
Are slacks and khakis the same thing?
For example, take slacks and khakis. These two pants are not the same thing—though they have a few similarities. You can, for example, style both khakis and slacks using similar apparel pieces, footwear, and accessories.
Can you mix slacks with chinos or khakis?
Sometimes you can even mix the term slacks with chinos or khakis but that wouldn’t be accurate as slacks don’t need to be cotton fabric pants, while chinos or khakis main feature is the cotton fabric used to tailor them. If this is what you already wanted to know, check our online 3D designer to create the perfect custom slacks online.
Can you wear slacks with a blazer?
So, just like with formal pants, they can be worn with your variety of suit separates, in combination with a matching blazer, dressed down with a T-shirt and matching blazer, and worn with or without a belt. Sounds a bit like dress pants, no?
Why is it called “pants”?
According to language expert Michael Quinion, it’s the underwear connection that gives this meaning of “pants” its origin. An older generation used the word “knickers” (another word for underpants) as a mild swear word, which morphed to pants in the 1990s. It’s worth noting this slang is from the 1990s, so kids today probably don’t use it.