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khaki short

khaki short

3 1.8
A pair of light brown shorts for casual outdoor wear
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːki ʃɔrt/
translation icon : pantalones cortos caqui
  • I spent the afternoon at the park in my comfortable khaki shorts and a casual T-shirt.
  • khaki shorts and shirt
  • wearing khaki shorts
  • a pair of khaki shorts

And why are all the women only wearing khaki shorts from Aeropostale?

Examples

  • The uniform featured khaki shorts.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • You mean that guy in the khaki shorts?

  • Just a pair of khaki shorts and some hiking boots.

  • And why are all the women only wearing khaki shorts from Aeropostale?

  • Meanwhile, Paul had been showering and changing into his home clothes, a worn shirt and khaki shorts.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • I was wearing a white oxford shirt and khaki shorts, and they were both saturated with sweat.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • As he leaned against the jamb, she thought of how silly he looked in khaki shorts.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Delia wore the same clothes as yesterday: khaki shorts, white T-shirt, Peace Corps sweatshirt, and the beads.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • His white legs were virtually hairless and looked ridiculously thin in his baggy khaki shorts and thick-soled athletic shoes.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • She's wearing a khaki shirt with red-and-black epaulets, the tails knotted at her midsection, and khaki shorts.

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

short pants
vskhaki short
5 1.0

Trousers ending above the knee that people wear in warm weather or for sports

is specifically light brown and intended for casual or outdoor wear
Bermuda shorts
vskhaki short
3 2.5

Short trousers that reach to or just above the knee, often worn in warm weather

is similar but defined by light brown fabric and casual outdoor use
shorts
vskhaki short
1 1.0

Clothes worn on the lower body that end above the knee and have two separate legs

is a light brown version meant for casual or outdoor occasions
shortz
vskhaki short
  • Informal
9.8

Pants that end above the knee, often worn for beach or play

is the normal form naming a light brown casual lower-body garment
Jamaica shorts
vskhaki short
2.8

Short pants that end at the knee and are worn for sport or hot weather

is the light brown casual option rather than a style tied to sport

How Casual

swimming trunks
  • UK
9 1.1
shorts
1 1.0
khaki short
3 1.8

Surface Forms

khaki short singular
khaki shorts plural

Morphology

khaki + short

The phrase is transparently composed of a color adjective 'khaki' and the garment word 'short(s)', so a learner who knows those constituents can easily infer it refers to shorts made of khaki-colored fabric. The minor issue that the input uses the singular 'short' rather than the more usual plural 'shorts' does not obscure the compositional meaning, which follows a common cross-linguistic color + clothing pattern.

Etymology

Khaki short comes from the color word khaki, which may come from a word for 'dust' because old soldiers used a light brown dye to hide in dusty places, and shorts are short trousers. So a khaki short means a short pair of pants in that light brown color, often worn for casual or outdoor use.