bowyang

B3O1W4Y4A1N1G2
UK/ˈbəʊjaŋ/

noun

A strap worn below the knee, especially by labourers, to keep the trousers up or to stop them stretching while bending.

Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounbowyang (plural bowyangs)

plural bowyangs · alternative boyang

  1. AustraliaNew ZealandA strap worn below the knee, especially by labourers, to keep the trousers up or to stop them stretching while bending.

    Jack McGrath […] travelled innocently beside his team in his faded red shirt, his moleskins, bowyangs, and heavy boots.

    1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber & Faber, published 2003, page 75

Origin

From British dialect (Lincolnshire) bowy-yanks (“leather leggings”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bowyang. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowyang

MLA

“bowyang.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowyang. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bowyang,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowyang.

Source: bowyang on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.