birthday pants

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

caught in the most recent New Yorker, "in one's birthday pants" 'naked
from the waist down':

Nancy Franklin, “Women Gone Wild” (review of tv show “Desperate
Housewives”), The New Yorker, 1/17/05, p. 92:
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At the same time, the stresses in the women’s lives are played for
comedy (and sometimes as an attempt to get two laughs out of one
joke—in two episodes early in the series, two different characters are
caught outside naked, one in her full birthday suit and one in his
birthday pants).
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google had ca. 470 webhits on "birthday pants", most about pants as
birthday presents, some from porn sites that i don't understand, a fair
number from .ru sites selling clothes (which i also don't understand).
but then, from the Moxy Fruvous (canadian rock group, very
entertaining) fan site (i haven't figured out the year of posting):
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http://www.fruhead.com/mod/forum/view-thread.php?
forum_id=8&thread_id=392

I was having an argument recently with a friend about whether or not
"Birthday Suit" (nakedness) could be modified to "Birthday Pants" in
the event that one is not wearing any pants. Any thoughts on this?
(Zacques, July 13)

does that mean you can also have a birthday shirt?  (siobhan, July 14)
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and from yet another site, suggesting that "birthday pants" might refer
to crotchless pants (obviously not what was featured in "Desperate
Housewives", but possibly what the porn sites were going on about):
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http://www.oldskoolanthemz.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-13412.html

Originally posted by sweet sensation
  Lol !! Or crotchless ones...:eyebrow:

  Disgraceful words from such a pleaseant young lady :naughty:

  Them birthday pants are comfy, but best not go out in public in em eh.
(pacman, 1/15/03)
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arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)