Big pants, tight pants, spotty pants, silly pants… They come in all shapes and sizes.

But have a guess where the word ‘pants’ comes from?

A. Pants were once so baggy that they made a short ‘whooshing’ sound every time the wearer took a step. It reminded people of the sound a dog makes when it’s hot and ‘panting’.

B. 400 years ago, on the stage of Italian theatres, one of the best-loved characters was a strange, skinny old man who wore very tight-fitting trousers and tights! His name was Pantalone, and today’s pants were named after him.

C. Nicholas Pantomime was the name of the man who invented the very funny Christmas show, full of men dressed as women in hugely baggy bloomers!

 

ANSWER: B!

Traditional Italian comedies featured lots of funny characters. Pantalone, with his skinny legs and very tight trousers, made everyone roar with laughter.

He was so popular that his name travelled far and wide, and the English borrowed it to describe the kind of tight trousers or ‘pantaloons’ that he wore.

Today’s ‘pants’ are a shorter version (in every sense!) of the original ‘pantaloons’. In America, of course, they still use ‘pants’ to mean trousers.

There never really was a Nicholas Pantomime, by the way. The word ‘pantomime’ comes from two Greek words meaning ‘all’ (pan) and ‘miming’ (mimos). In ancient times, an actor would mime ALL the parts!

And if today you hear someone say ‘that’s pants’, it’s slang for ‘that’s rubbish’. We’re not sure why — perhaps it’s because most of us find underpants a bit smelly!