trouser tent

9.9

A visible bulge in the front of a man's trousers when he is sexually excited

noun
/ˈtraʊzər tɛnt/

Offensive

: bulto en los pantalones

His jeans revealed an obvious trouser tent as he stood up.

Examples

Did you notice his trouser tent during the meeting?
The comedian joked about his trouser tent during the show.
She tried to ignore the trouser tent when he laughed too hard at the joke.
He was embarrassed by the trouser tent he couldn't hide.
His jeans revealed an obvious trouser tent as he stood up.
She tried to ignore the trouser tent when he laughed too hard at the joke.
He was embarrassed by the trouser tent he couldn't hide.

How Noticeable

trouser tent

Offensive

9.9

bulge

42 3.2

Surface Forms

trouser tent singular

trouser tents plural

Morphology

trouser + tent

The compound combines the literal items 'trouser' (pants) and 'tent' (a peaked shelter) to signal a peaked or protruding shape in the trousers, so a learner who knows both words could plausibly infer it denotes a bulge. However, the slang sexual-arousal nuance and pragmatic use are culturally specific and not fully predictable from the parts alone, so full understanding typically requires exposure.

Etymology

Trouser tent is a slang name that comes from the image of a small tent shape in the front of tight trousers when someone is sexually excited. That's why the phrase means a noticeable 'bulge' in the pants.