breath and britches

noun

physically (implying extreme thinness) or,

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Meanings

nounbreath and britches (uncountable)
  1. The minimal qualities that make one a person (especially a man), either
    1. Southern USfigurativelyuncountablephysically (implying extreme thinness) or,

      […] San Antonio Mexicans named Cisco and Pancho, both in black-market sombreros. They were skinny—all breath and britches—and short-timers, soon to go home.

      1990, Lee K. Abbott, “Why I Live in Hanoi”, in Dreams of Distant Lives, New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, page 109
    2. Southern USfigurativelyuncountablein terms of character, accomplishments, etc.

      We’s all God’s creatures and it ain’t in the Bible to sit in the back of no buses or bow down to any man what ain’t nothing but breath and britches.

      1981, John Edgar Wideman, “The Songs of Reba Love Jackson”, in Damballah, New York: Houghton Mifflin, published 1998, page 122
      2 more examples

      “[…] I don’t know a blessed thing but planting. What does she expect me to do? Hire out as an overseer?” I would, Guy thought clearly, coldly; before I’d accept the slightest favor from anybody. But you haven’t got that, have you, Kil? Reckon you never were anything more than breath and britches.

      1957, Frank Yerby, chapter 22, in Fairoaks, New York: Pocket Books, published 1963, page 295

      Man ain’t nothing but trouble, just breath and britches and trouble. Don’t let him feel all over you, now, don’t let a no-good man touch you, else he’ll big you up sho-nuff.

      1966, Margaret Walker, Jubilee, New York: Houghton Mifflin, published 2016, Part I, Chapter 3, p. 54
  2. Southern USfigurativelyuncountableA man of no substance.

    “[…] Ah don’t want no trashy nigger, no breath-and-britches, lak Johnny Taylor usin’ yo’ body to wipe his foots on.”

    1937, Zora Neale Hurston, chapter 2, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, University of Illinois Press, published 1978, page 27
Cite this entry
APA

breath and britches. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breath%20and%20britches

MLA

“breath and britches.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breath%20and%20britches. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “breath and britches,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breath%20and%20britches.

Source: breath and britches on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.