short shorts

alternative short-shorts

1. pluralplural onlyTrousers that are very short, covering the pelvis but exposing most of the legs; hot pants.

   Short shorts gained favor with women because of their comfort and because Bermuda models tend to emphasize the least attractive part of the legs—the knee and calf.

   1956, “Short shorts become permanent in U.S. scene”, in Life, page 54

   2 more examples

   She is telling them about Jaeger man-tailored shorts, kilted shorts and short shorts, and about the shirt-maker tennis dresses. She is telling them about the golf suits with divided skirts and ‘crazy shirts’

   1935 April 9, “Jaeger House [advertisement]”, in The Times, page 14

   On the shorter side, short-shorts and hot pants are very on trend right now—denim ones are called Daisy Dukes, after the sex symbol on the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard—but you need to be a certain age and have a certain body type to pull them off.

   2012, Tim Gunn, Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible, page 95

2. pluralplural onlyplural of short short (“a short short story”)