to keep your pants on
1
8.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
mantén la calma
- I have very strong beliefs that if it was really you and your profile, you would keep your pants on, you know, So I think it's very fast.
Examples
-
Please keep your pants on while we wait for the results.
-
When the team runs late, just keep your pants on; they'll be here soon.
-
OK, keep your pants on, don't hit anybody, don't use bad words.
-
He told everyone to keep your pants on until the meeting starts.
Synonyms
42
5.8
Tell someone to slow down when they act too quickly
7
8.5
To stay calm and patient instead of getting angry
1
9.6
Stay calm and do not become angry or upset
1
7.2
Tell someone to wait and be patient
Stay calm and do not get angry or impatient
Antonyms
How Calm
- Informal
594
1.4
- Informal
572
2.5
- Informal
1
8.6
- Informal
1
7.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal combination 'keep' + 'your pants on' yields 'continue wearing your pants', which does not transparently convey the idiomatic sense 'remain calm / be patient'. The phrase is a culturally specific idiom (like 'keep your shirt on') whose pragmatic meaning cannot be reliably predicted from its parts, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would likely not infer the intended sense.
Etymology
The idiom keep your pants on may come from a simple picture of someone getting ready to rush out and quickly pulling on their pants. Telling someone to keep their pants on is like saying 'wait' and 'stay calm', so it means 'don't be impatient'.