pedal pushers
1
4.9
- noun
- /ˈpɛdəl ˈpʌʃərz/
- Archaic
:
pantalones capri
- Sarah was wearing white pedal pushers and sandals, and she looked pale all over, as though the shock had permanently drained her blood.
- wearing pedal pushers
- red pedal pushers
- pink pedal pushers
I'm actually wearing SC's pedal pushers, but I loved it.
- I'm actually wearing SC's pedal pushers, but I loved it.
Examples
-
She was wearing fashionable pink pedal pushers, a starched and ironed white blouse, bobby socks, and penny loafers.
Fiction book (1993) -
Wednesday's mother came out of the house in pedal pushers and a paint-spattered smock and turned the garden hose on them.
Fiction book (2001) -
I'm actually wearing SC's pedal pushers, but I loved it.
-
My mother wears a white, sleeveless turtleneck shirt and handmade, navy pedal pushers.
Academic text (2009) -
As I looked at this beautiful light-skinned girl of about eighteen, dressed in red pedal pushers, her hair scooped up nicely and tied with a yellow ribbon, I wished she loved me too.
Fiction book (1993) -
Stephanie had hair so long she could sit on it, a wardrobe of matching pedal pushers and ruffled midriffs, and a menagerie of stuffed animals she was happy to share.
Academic text (2001) -
She wore a string of pearls, rubber pedal pushers, and a Dacron shower cap—a combination she knew looked really good on her.
Fiction book (1995) -
My mother came to pick me up after school in a halter top and pedal pushers.
-
Behind the counter, two girls in pedal pushers are slicing fish.
-
Wednesday's mother came out of the house in pedal pushers and a paint-spattered smock.
Synonyms
1
7.6
Close-fitting women's pants that end at the calf like those worn by bullfighters
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
pedal + pushers
The clothing meaning 'snug-fitting mid‑calf pants' cannot be directly derived from 'pedal' (a foot lever) combined with 'pushers' (agents that push); a B1 learner would more likely interpret the phrase as people or devices that push pedals rather than a garment. The historical link to cycling and clothing terminology is not transparent or cross‑linguistically obvious, so the expression is idiomatic for learners.
Etymology
Pedal pushers may come from cycling. The short pants let a person reach the pedal and 'push' it without long cloth getting in the way, so people called them pedal pushers. That's why the name now means 'snug-fitting pants that end at the mid-calf'.