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Glite Dictionary
trouser leg

trouser leg

1 1.4
The part of a pair of pants that covers one leg
  • noun
  • /ˈtraʊzər lɛg/
  • UK
translation icon : pierna del pantalón
  • The tailor measured the length of each trouser leg to ensure a perfect fit.
  • crease on his trouser leg
  • tear in his trouser leg
  • rolled up his trouser leg

Examples

  • I see a child, looking up the length of her father's trouser leg.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Sennett spent a moment arranging himself, reaching down to straighten the crease on his trouser leg before beginning.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Sometimes, they slid down a trouser leg and fell to the floor.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • When Field finished, he rubbed his hand twice on his trouser leg and rose to his feet.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • When Bartelle saw them return with wet trouser legs, he looked out of the window.

    Blog text (30)

  • I like a wider trouser leg because it balances out my hips.

    Blog text (27)

  • Water was still dribbling from the bottoms of his trouser legs.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • My trouser leg caught on my shoe, and then the right shoelace turned into knots.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • A crisply creased trouser leg steps out of a carriage and onto a driveway.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • My father climbs down into the stream bed, and mud flecks his trouser legs.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

leg
vstrouser leg
87 1.0

The part of trousers that covers one lower body part

is identical in meaning but uses a specific compound name
trouser
vstrouser leg
  • UK
13 3.0

One leg of a pair of pants or the whole pair, mainly in British English

refers only to the single part that covers one lower limb
pant leg
vstrouser leg
  • US
11 1.2

The part of trousers that covers one leg

is the same part but called with a different phrase

Surface Forms

trouser leg singular
trouser legs plural

Morphology

trouser + leg

The meaning 'the part of a pair of trousers that covers one leg' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'trouser' (garment for the legs) with 'leg' (one limb/part of pants), a clear part-whole composition. This noun+noun construction denoting a component of clothing is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Trouser leg simply names the cloth part of a pair of trousers that fits over one leg. Imagine sliding your foot into that tube of fabric: that tube is the trouser leg, so the phrase means 'the part of a pair of trousers that covers one leg'.