Does "pants" Mean "trousers" Or "underpants" In Ireland?

[receeblake]

Sorry, I am not a English speaker and I would be grateful if anyone can tell me if "pants" means "trousers" or "underpants" in Ireland.
Besides, is it true that "pants" means "trousers" in some areas of uk?
Thanks a lot in advance. :)

[Sharingan]

Both depending on context and yes, pants can also mean trousers in England depending also on context.

[Gizmonster]

Me and a good friend of mine had this debate aaaages ago.
He was adamant that pants referred to underpants and never trousers, whereas I said that I sometimes called trousers pants.
We don't live that far away from each other - I'm in Lancashire, he's in South Yorkshire

[murraymints]

Pants in Scotland is what men DON'T wear under kilt !! Defo undies here

[Sharingan]

I personally would never use pants to mean trousers, but certainly other people do, although I might say something like ' Flying by the seat of his pants'.

[EDDIE51]

Pants means knickers in the USA and that meaning is spreading here.

[Peter Pedant]

. Hmm if someone said oop North - he was arrested for doing his gardening in his pants, I wouldnt automatically think he was arrested in a pair of trousers.

I think we all realise that pants has an American meaning - the Yell advert has an American shouting - I am wearing trousers - ta-daaah !

and yet and yet liar liar pants on fire doesnt mean smouldering Y fronts.

[Baldric]

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pants

[Peter Pedant]

Eddie - I read your entry as pants mean knockers and thought
Oh God do they - I must be getting old....

[Old_Geezer]

In England whilst "pants" can mean "trousers", the word is not normally used in place of "trousers". In normal usage one would expect "pants" to be a shortening of the word "underpants".

[Old_Geezer]

Rather unimpressed by the free dictionary definitions. I think they may need a quick edit.

[stewey]

Eddie51, the equivalent of "knickers" in Canada and the US is "panties".

[Clanad]

Pants and slacks are interchangeable here in the U.S., meaning men's 'trousers' (which they are almost never called anymore)... Panties are women's underwear, although sometime "pants" can be used for women's outerwear 'trousers'... all very confusing, I'm sure.

What is inescapeable, however, is that in men's advertisements for 'trousers' often the garment is reffered to only by it's brand name... such as 'Docker's". Walk into a store and as the clerk where the Dockers or Levis or Wranglers are and everyone know precisely what they're talking about...

[pixie373]

I always thought that was an American term.

[humbersloop]

people used to call trousers slacks, but I haven't heard it in ages

[Frank97]

I'm wearing trousers at the moment, called cargo pants. Personally I like the Australian term "Strides", but that's just me.

[viv38]

Pants to me means underwear.

[stewey]

It's all very confusing isn't it? So let's not get our knickers in a knot over it:)

[EDDIE51]

stewey, you get your knickers in a twist not a knot .

[sandyRoe]

And don't the yoof say now, 'it's pants', to mean something is rubbishy?

[dizmouk2009]

I've not heard anyone say something 'is pants' for ages. I usually hear the 'yoof' of today (kids) just say stuff like "***** thats ***** ******". You can just fill the stars in with random swearing.

I also thought it was an American thing as well. Having said that most men (ok I know men still wear 'tighty whities') wear boxers. I'd never say pants. I'm just rambling now so I'm going to give my chops a rest.