trouser leg
2
1.4
- noun
- /ˈtraʊzər lɛg/
- UK
- 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
16
1.2
The part of trousers that covers one leg
14
1.0
The part of trousers that covers one lower body part
6
3.0
One leg of a pair of pants or the whole pair, mainly in British English
Surface Forms
Morphology
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'.