Meanings
- idiomaticIn childhood; as a child; when quite young (including nonliterally, e.g., as a young adult).
Near-synonym: in diapers
1 more example
We didn't have computers or mobile phones back when I was in short trousers!
Synonyms: in short pants, in diapers
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseIn childhood; as a child; when quite young (including nonliterally, e.g., as a young adult).
Origin
From an early 20th century practice of reserving short trousers only for small children.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
in short trousers. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20short%20trousers
“in short trousers.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20short%20trousers. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in short trousers,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20short%20trousers.
Source: in short trousers on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.