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double-breasted jacket

double-breasted jacket

1 4.2
A jacket with overlapping front panels fastened by two rows of buttons
  • noun
translation icon : chaqueta cruzada
  • The designer showcased a double-breasted jacket that featured overlapping front panels at the fashion show.
  • wearing a double-breasted jacket
  • white double-breasted jacket

Examples

  • Wearing an elaborate, double-breasted jacket with a red lining, he would appear in the dining room, settle into his armchair, and give his cup to her.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • She sees grey lizard shoes, grey pinstriped trousers, grey silk shirt, Billy Eckstein collar, yellow silk tie, and a double-breasted jacket.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Well, you have chosen the double-breasted jacket, sir, - with the four buttons.

  • So with double breasted jackets, I block things out a little bit more.

  • Hank, who has already removed his double-breasted jacket and loosened his tie, walks out in his sweat-stained shirt.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • He touched me on the shoulder and pulled a glittering cigarette case from the pocket of his double-breasted jacket.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Slimmer rectangles and often double breasted jackets and coats widen a figure.

  • He was wearing a big dark double-breasted jacket and white pants, like some old jazz musician—sharp, but with that shuffling style, though I doubt he shuffled; he seemed secure.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • He slips into the double-breasted jacket, knots the silk tie, folds a handkerchief, and tucks it into the jacket pocket, all with great deliberation.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • He wore a stylish double-breasted jacket with two rows of buttons to the formal event.

Antonyms

A jacket with one row of buttons and a front that overlaps slightly

How Formal

tailcoat
1 6.8
double-breasted jacket
1 4.2
blazer
52 2.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

double-breasted + jacket

The phrase is compositionally built from 'double' (two) + 'breasted' (having a front/chest panel) + 'jacket' (a short coat), so a learner who knows the parts can infer it denotes a jacket with two overlapping front panels/two rows of buttons. This is a predictable, clothing-related compound found across languages, making its meaning readily derivable for B1 learners.

Etymology

Double-breasted jacket is named for its look: the front has two overlapping panels and two rows of buttons, so it literally has a double front or two breasts, meaning 'front pieces'. That's why it means a jacket with overlapping front panels and two parallel rows of buttons.