Pants are clothing for the body above the ankles and below the waist, typically with either a zipper or button fly. The term is an abbreviation of pantaloons, a puzzling plurale tantum as it comes from the French pantalon, stemming via the buffoonish commedia dell'arte-character Pantalone from that Italian word. The Pantalone characters gain their name from the Patron Saint of Venice—Saint Pantaleon. The word pants was first found in the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.

Pants as underwear (underpants)

• In British English, the term pants refers to underpants. It is a catch-all term that can denote anything from g-strings to boxer shorts, but all have the common feature that they are worn under trousers, skirts or pyjamas. The word "pants" has acquired humorous connotations in the last few decades, largely among younger people. Many stand-up comedians have used the word adjectively as a light pejorative term. This usage gained wider attention when it was alleged that the then-Prime Minister John Major tucked his shirt into his underpants.

Pants as an outer garment (trousers)

• In Canadian, Australian, South African and American English, however, the term pants refers to a long outer garment worn over the hips and legs, which in British English are called trousers. However in Northern England Pants is still a well used expression for "trousers"

Other uses

• In Canadian drug use slang, "pants" can sometimes be a codeword for heroin.
• Also in the UK "pants" can be used as a slang word for something that is below par or "crap"
• Pants is considered by some an inherently funny word.
• Clarence "Pants" Rowland was a former manager for Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox, guiding them to the 1917 World Series title.

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