drop trou

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>... So it seems as though it comes from a time in the US when the
>term "trousers" was more common than it is now, and truncations had
>not been so thoroughly supplanted by initialisms. But perhaps y'all
>have other data?

I don't have any. Seems to me that I heard this pre-1975, but I can't prove
it even to myself.

I don't know that "trousers" was an everyday word in fraternity or
rock-music circles (not that I know much about either) but isn't "trousers"
perennial military nomenclature? Along about 1965-1975 a fair number of
young US males had some experience with trouser-dropping in military
medical contexts, didn't they?

-- Doug Wilson


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