Etymology Journal ยท K
Keep your pants on
Meaning
- An informal way of telling someone to calm down or be patient. It is usually used when someone is being unnecessarily hurried or excited.
Playful, dismissive
Used in a sentence
- Keep your pants on, I will have your coffee ready in a second.
- I said I would fix the sink, so keep your pants on.
- The line is long, but keep your pants on, we will get inside eventually.
The backstory
This is a classic variation of keep your shirt on. It gained traction in the mid-20th century as a humorous way to diffuse tension.
Heard in
Nationwide
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