To wear the breeches

To wear the breeches
Wear Wear, v. t. [imp. {Wore} (w[=o]r); p. p. {Worn} (w[=o]rn); p. pr. & vb. n. {Wearing}. Before the 15th century wear was a weak verb, the imp. & p. p. being {Weared}.] [OE. weren, werien, AS. werian to carry, to wear, as arms or clothes; akin to OHG. werien, weren, to clothe, Goth. wasjan, L. vestis clothing, vestire to clothe, Gr. "enny`nai, Skr. vas. Cf. {Vest}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To carry or bear upon the person; to bear upon one's self, as an article of clothing, decoration, warfare, bondage, etc.; to have appendant to one's body; to have on; as, to wear a coat; to wear a shackle. [1913 Webster]

What compass will you wear your farthingale? --Shak. [1913 Webster]

On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore, Which Jews might kiss, and infidels adore. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

2. To have or exhibit an appearance of, as an aspect or manner; to bear; as, she wears a smile on her countenance. ``He wears the rose of youth upon him.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

His innocent gestures wear A meaning half divine. --Keble. [1913 Webster]

3. To use up by carrying or having upon one's self; hence, to consume by use; to waste; to use up; as, to wear clothes rapidly. [1913 Webster]

4. To impair, waste, or diminish, by continual attrition, scraping, percussion, on the like; to consume gradually; to cause to lower or disappear; to spend. [1913 Webster]

That wicked wight his days doth wear. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

The waters wear the stones. --Job xiv. 19. [1913 Webster]

5. To cause or make by friction or wasting; as, to wear a channel; to wear a hole. [1913 Webster]

6. To form or shape by, or as by, attrition. [1913 Webster]

Trials wear us into a liking of what, possibly, in the first essay, displeased us. --Locke. [1913 Webster]

{To wear away}, to consume; to impair, diminish, or destroy, by gradual attrition or decay.

{To wear off}, to diminish or remove by attrition or slow decay; as, to wear off the nap of cloth.

{To wear on} or {To wear upon}, to wear. [Obs.] ``[I] weared upon my gay scarlet gites [gowns.]'' --Chaucer.

{To wear out}. (a) To consume, or render useless, by attrition or decay; as, to wear out a coat or a book. (b) To consume tediously. ``To wear out miserable days.'' --Milton. (c) To harass; to tire. ``[He] shall wear out the saints of the Most High.'' --Dan vii. 25. (d) To waste the strength of; as, an old man worn out in military service.

{To wear the breeches}. See under {Breeches}. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • wear the breeches — (of the female in a (usu marital) relationship) to be in charge • • • Main Entry: ↑breech …   Useful english dictionary

  • To wear the breeches — Breeches Breech es (br[i^]ch [e^]z), n. pl. [OE. brech, brek, AS. br[=e]k, pl. of br[=o]c breech, breeches; akin to Icel. br[=o]k breeches, ODan. brog, D. broek, G. bruch; cf. L. bracae, braccae, which is of Celtic origin. Cf. {Brail}.] 1. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wear the breeches —    to be the dominant partner in a relationship between a man and a woman    Usually of the woman, from the days when only men wore the breech, breeches, trousers, or (in America) pants:     That you might still have worn the    petticoat,    And …   How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

  • Wear — Wear, v. t. [imp. {Wore} (w[=o]r); p. p. {Worn} (w[=o]rn); p. pr. & vb. n. {Wearing}. Before the 15th century wear was a weak verb, the imp. & p. p. being {Weared}.] [OE. weren, werien, AS. werian to carry, to wear, as arms or clothes; akin to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Breeches — Breech es (br[i^]ch [e^]z), n. pl. [OE. brech, brek, AS. br[=e]k, pl. of br[=o]c breech, breeches; akin to Icel. br[=o]k breeches, ODan. brog, D. broek, G. bruch; cf. L. bracae, braccae, which is of Celtic origin. Cf. {Brail}.] 1. A garment worn… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Breeches buoy — Breeches Breech es (br[i^]ch [e^]z), n. pl. [OE. brech, brek, AS. br[=e]k, pl. of br[=o]c breech, breeches; akin to Icel. br[=o]k breeches, ODan. brog, D. broek, G. bruch; cf. L. bracae, braccae, which is of Celtic origin. Cf. {Brail}.] 1. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Breeches pipe — Breeches Breech es (br[i^]ch [e^]z), n. pl. [OE. brech, brek, AS. br[=e]k, pl. of br[=o]c breech, breeches; akin to Icel. br[=o]k breeches, ODan. brog, D. broek, G. bruch; cf. L. bracae, braccae, which is of Celtic origin. Cf. {Brail}.] 1. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • The Revolutionists stop for Orangeade — is a poem from the second, 1931,edition of Wallace Stevens s first book of poetry, Harmonium. It was firstpublished in 1931, [Bates, p. 235] so it is restricted by copyright until 2025 inAmerica and similar jurisdictions, because of legislation… …   Wikipedia

  • breeches — noun /bɹɪitʃəz,bɹɪtʃəz/ a) A garment worn by men, covering the hips and thighs; smallclothes. And how then was the Devil drest? b) Trousers; pantaloons; britches. Oh! he was in his Sundays best: See Also …   Wiktionary

  • Breeches — (pronounced IPA| [ˈbritʃɪz] ) are an item of male clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. The breeching of a young… …   Wikipedia

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