BREECHES

'Breeches' are an item of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg.
The spelling 'britches' reflects a common pronunciation, and is generally used in casual speech to mean trousers (or "pants"). 'Breeks' is a Scots or northern English spelling and pronunciation.
''See more at'' Trousers, Knickers.

Contents

Etymology

Types of breeches

Breech

Riding Breeches

See also

Sources and references

External links

Etymology

Breeches is a double plural known since c.1205, from Old English (and before Old French) ''brēc'', the plural of ''brōc'' "garment for the legs and trunk," from the Proto-Germanic word
★ ''brōkiz'', whence also the Old Norse word ''brók'', which shows up in the epithet of the Viking king Ragnar Loðbrók, Ragnar "Hairy-breeches". The Proto-Germanic word also gave rise, via a Celtic language, to the Latin word ''bracca''; the Romans, who did not generally wear pants, referred to Germanic tribes as ''braccati'', "wearers of breeches" (or rather, of fabric wrapped around the legs.)
Like other words for similar garments (e.g. ''pants'', ''knickers'', ''shorts'') the word ''breeches'' has been applied to both outer garments and underwear. ''Breeches'' is a singular word which uses a plural form to reflect it has two legs. This construction is common in English, but is no longer common in other languages, e.g. the parallel modern Dutch ''broek''.
At first ''breeches'' indicated a cloth worn as underwear by both men and women. By the Middle Ages ''breeches'' meant "drawers" or "underpants."
In the latter sixteenth century, ''breeches'' began to replace ''hose'' (while the German ''Hosen'', also a plural, ousted ''Bruch'') as the general English term for men's lower outer garments, a usage that remained standard until knee-length breeches were replaced for everyday wear by long pantaloons or trousers.

Types of breeches

The terms ''breeches'' or '''knee-breeches''' specifically designate the knee-length garments worn by men from the later sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century. After that, they survived in England only in very formal wear, such as the livery worn by some servants into the early twentieth century, and the court dress worn by others, such as Queen's Counsel, down to the present day on formal occasions.

★ Spanish breeches, stiff, ungathered breeches popular from the 1630s until the 1650s.

★ Petticoat breeches, very full, ungathered breeches popular from the 1650s until the early 1660s, giving the impression of a woman's petticoat.

★ Rhinegraves, full, gathered breeches popular from the early 1660s until the mid 1670s, often worn with an overskirt over them.

★ ''Fall front'' breeches, breeches with a panel or flap covering the front opening and fastened up with buttons at either corner.

★ In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the term ''breech-cloth'' or ''breech-clout'' was also used to describe the apron-like loincloths worn by some Native American peoples.

★ In contemporary contexts, ''breeches'' are distinguished from other forms of pants or trousers as being shorter than ankle-length and form-fitting, as ''riding breeches''. (Note, however, that riding breeches through much of the twentieth century tended to flare dramatically through the thighs.)

★ Breeches are also an item of protective clothing used in the martial art of ''Fencing''.

Breech

The singular meanwhile survived in the metaphorical sense of the part of the body covered by breeches, i.e. posterior, buttocks; paradoxically, the alliterating expression 'bare breech' thus means without any inner or outer breeches.
This also led to the following:

★ a ''(gun) breech'' is the part of a firearm behind the bore (known since 1575 in gunnery).

★ breech birth in childbirthing (since 1673)

Riding Breeches

Riding breeches are specifically designed for equestrian activities. Traditionally, they were tight in the legs, with buckles or laces in the calf section, and had a pronounced flare through the thighs. However, with the advent of new materials such as spandex, modern breeches are skin-tight. The flared style is making a slow comeback, however, and is available to cavalry and other military reenactors.

There are three types of riding breeches:

★ 'Jodhpurs': which are commonly placed in a separate category other than breeches. They are commonly worn by children. They are also worn by adults in riding lessons and casual riding as well as in the show ring in the UK and Australia. These riding pants have elastic "stirrups" to fasten under the rider's boots, which prevents the pants from rising up. They are meant to be worn with "jodhpur boots," which come up to the ankles, and some also are worn with garters, to prevent them from rising.

★ 'Knee patch': having grippy material only in the knee area. These are the only type of breeches worn by hunt seat riders. Show jumpers, eventers, endurance riders, and pleasure riders also often use the breeches. They are designed to be worn with tall boots, which come up to the knee, or half chaps.

★ 'Fullseat': Having grippy material from the knee, up the inner thigh, and on both sides of the buttock. These breeches are popular in dressage, who prefer the "sticky" seat to help them grip to the saddle as they sit gaits. They are also worn by eventers and other riders. They are designed to be worn with tall boots or half chaps.
Color is important in selecting breeches for competition, which should always be conservative. White is common in dressage, and is also seen in show jumping. Beige is seen in all equestrian disciplines. A greenish colour is currently popular with hunt seat competitors. Eventers wear conservative colours for the dressage and stadium phase, but less classic colours may be seen on the cross-country course (especially at the lower levels) to match the "colours" of the rider.
Breeches may be front or side zip, as some competitors believe the side-zip to give a cleaner appearance and to be more flattering. Styles are also developing to match the trends in clothing, including low-rise breeches.

See also

★ Clothing terminology

★ Plus-fours

★ Hebrew Priests were commanded in the Law of Moses (Exodus 28:42) to wear breeches (basically underwear) when they ministered in the tabernacle: ''And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach''.

★ The ''Breeches Bible'', a Geneva-edited Bible of 1560, was so called on account of rendition of Genesis iii.7 (already in Wyclif) "They sewed figge leaves together, and made themselves breeches."

★ Daniele da Volterra, nicknamed "the breeches maker" ("il braghettone")

Sources and references

★ Oxford English - Dictionary

★ Etymology

External links

★ Petticoat Breeches and Rhinegraves Louis XIV and the nobleman on the left with petticoat breeches while the men in black and the nobleman on the right are wearing rhinegraves.

★ Contemporary leather fetishists' breeches

★ Breeches and Leather Uniform Fanclub Largely gay fraternal organization of contemporary men who wear breeches