dress pants

alternative dress-pants · alternative dresspants

1. pluralplural onlyFormal pants (i.e., trousers).

   […] this ended in a sad catastrophe happening to his blue dress pants, which could not stand the repeated tests of strength they were put to.

   1849, H[enry] F. MᶜKillop, Reminiscences of Twelve Months’ Service in New Zealand as a Midshipman, During the Late Disturbances in That Colony, London: Richard Bentley, […], page 38

   2 more examples

   I wore a pair of buckskin moccasins coming up to my knees, and a smock frock of Kentucky jeans, as did the most of us, except Montmery, who had been making visits that day, and came off in a hurry with a pair of black doeskin dress pants, strapped down over patent leather pumps; […]

   1851 October, “Reedyrill. V.—The Pigeon Roost.”, in Thomas Prentice Kettell, editor, The United States Magazine, and Democratic Review, volume XXIX, New York, N.Y.: Kettell & Moore, page 337

   When your Reactor is in jeans, you should wear dress pants or a casual dress. When your Reactor is in dress pants, you should be wearing a nice suit or a more tailored dress, and so on.

   2007, Jeanette Henderson, Roy Henderson, There’s No Such Thing as Public Speaking: Make Any Presentation or Speech as Persuasive as a One-on-One Conversation, →ISBN