Girdle vs Pants - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between girdle and pants

is that girdle is that which girds, encircles, or encloses; a circumference while pants is an outer garment worn by men and women that covers the body from the waist downwards, covering each leg separately, usually as far as the ankles; trousers.

As verbs the difference between girdle and pants

is that girdle is to gird, encircle, or constrain by such means while pants is to pull someone’s pants down; to forcibly remove someone’s pants.

As an adjective pants is

of inferior quality, rubbish.

girdle

English

Noun

(en noun)

That which girds, encircles, or encloses; a circumference

* Shakespeare

within the girdle of these walls

A belt or elasticated corset; especially, a belt, sash, or article of dress encircling the body usually at the waist, often used to support stockings or hosiery.

* Bible, Revelations xv. 6

their breasts girded with golden girdles

The zodiac; also, the equator.

* Campbell

that gems the starry girdle of the year

* Cowper

from the world's girdle to the frozen pole

(Francis Bacon)

The line of greatest circumference of a diamond, at which it is grasped by the setting.

(Knight)

(mining) A thin bed or stratum of stone.

(Raymond)

The clitellum of an earthworm.

(Scottish, Northern English)

Verb

(girdl)

To gird, encircle, or constrain by such means.

To kill or stunt a tree by removing or inverting a ring of bark.

Anagrams

* * *

pants

English

Etymology 1

Shortened from .

Noun

(en-plural noun)

* 1933 , , Rabble in Arms , 1996, page 220:

“But they cover the legs,” Joseph explained. “That is the only reason my people wear pants': to cover the legs in the winter, or when traveling through rough country, full of thorns. In warm weather, or in open country, ' pants are unnecessary, uncomfortable, and foolish.”

* 1989 , , Penguin (2006), page 427:

Then he gave me a last desperate push and I tripped over the shorts caught around my ankles and fell down. I tried to pull my pants up with my boxing gloves but without success.In those days nobody wore underpants and I was bare-arsed and fancy free in front of everyone.

* 2010 , Ronald C. Eng (editor), Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills , 8th Edition, The Mountaineers Books, US, page 24:

Look for pants' with reinforced seats and knees and full-length side zippers that make it possible to put the ' pants on while you are wearing boots, crampons, skis, or snowshoes.

* 2005 , , page 12:

I rolled up the legs of the pants , then I went back into the trees.

* {{quote-news, year=2012

, date=May 27 , author=Nathan Rabin , title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992) , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=The episode also opens with an inspired bit of business for Homer, who blithely refuses to acquiesce to an elderly neighbor’s utterly reasonable request that he help make the process of selling her house easier by wearing pants when he gallivants about in front of windows, throw out his impressive collection of rotting Jack-O-Lanterns from previous Halloweens and take out his garbage, as it’s attracting wildlife (cue moose and Northern Exposure theme song).}}

* 1939 , (Raymond Chandler), The Big Sleep , Penguin 2011, p. 39:

I decided to pass up her underclothes, not from feelings of delicacy, but because I couldn't see myself putting her pants on and snapping her brassière.

* 1976 , Nathan H. Azrin, Richard M. Foxx, Toilet Training in Less Than a Day , 1988, page 127:

Big girls get candy for dry pants .

* 1984 , (Martin Amis), Money , Vintage (2005), page 183:

As she bent over the intercom the little skirt went peek-a-boo and you could see white pants cupping her buttocks like a bra.

(fashion) English plurals

(UK, slang) rubbish; something worthless

You're talking pants !

The film was a load (or pile) of pants .

Synonyms

* (outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards) breeks, britches, hosen, slacks, strides, trousers * (undergarment that covers the genitals and often neighbouring body parts) drawers, underpants, underwear *: (for men) boxers, boxer shorts, BVD's, ginch, gitch, gonch, gotch, jockeys, jockey shorts, shorts, skivvies, undershorts *: (for women) underpants, knickers, panties

Hyponyms

* (outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards) corduroys/cords, jeans

Derived terms

* -pants * all mouth and pants, all mouth and no pants * beat the pants off * ), seat-of-the-pants * * hot pants/hotpants * kick in the pants * overpants * smarty pants * the pants off (with scare, bore, beat, etc.) * wear the pants *

Verb

(es)

To pull someone’s pants down; to forcibly remove someone’s pants.

* 1948 , University of California, Carolina Quarterly , page 47:

Keith Gerber has been pantsed twice already this summer by Lannie and Cling, and so his face is more resolved, the fear tempered by the fact that he understands these things to be inevitable.

* 1980 , William Hogan, The Quartzsite Trip , Atheneum, page 242:

[T]he other boys, Stretch Latham and Rod Becker mainly, pantsed him, got his jockey shorts away and threw them onto Hubcap Willie’s roof.

* 1993 , Harold Augenbraum, Ilan Stavans, Growing Up Latino: Memoirs and Stories , page 174:

Richard did not stand too close to him, because he was always trying to pants him, and he would have died of shame if he did it tonight, because he knew his BVDs were dirty at the trap door.

Synonyms

* depants, de-pants, (British) keg

Adjective

(en adjective)

(British, slang) of inferior quality, rubbish.

Your mobile is pants — why don’t you get one like mine?

Etymology 2

From the verb (term) (from (etyl) panten and (hence) the noun (pant).)

Verb

(head)

(pant)

External links

* (pedia)