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apple-catchers (Herefordshire) outsized knickers (as one could use them for harvesting apples)

SKIMPIES

Garments that leave less to the imagination often attract greater interest:

banana hammock (US slang) a very brief men’s swimsuit

pasties (strip club jargon 1961) coverings worn over the nipples of a showgirl’s or topless dancer’s breasts (to comply with legal requirements for entertainers)

budgie smugglers (Australian slang) tight-fitting swimming trunks

TREWS

But even slinging on a pair of trousers may not stop the ogling:

like Edgware Road (UK slang 20C) a phrase describing tight trousers (because it’s got no ballroom either)

continuations (1825) trousers (since they continued a Victorian male’s waistcoat in a direction too delicate to mention)

galligaskins (1577) loose breeches

spatterdashes (1687) coverings for the legs by which the wet is kept off (especially in riding)

gravity-bags (Westmorland) the seat of the trousers

yorks (Wales) the practice of tying colliers’ and other workmen’s trousers above the ankles to prevent dirt and dust from reaching the upper parts of the body

GYM SHOES

Here at home we mainly call them trainers these days. But around the country and the English-speaking world the slang varies widely. In Newcastle they’re known as sandshoes; in Liverpool gollies; in Bristol and into Wales daps; in Nottingham pumps; in London plimsolls; in Dublin whiteslippers; and in Belfast gutties. Other types of footwear vary widely:

ferryboat (US 20C) a large, clumsy shoe

cod-heads (Glasgow 1930s) shoes that have worn out at the toe

done-promote (Jamaican English 1943) sandals made from worn out car tyres (i.e. one has been promoted from bare feet)

excruciators (19C) very tight, pointed shoes (forerunners of the 20C winklepickers)

KITTED OUT

Some occupations leave little choice as to what you wear:

lightning conductors (Royal Navy jargon) gold stripes running down the trouser seams of a Captain’s or Flag Officer’s Mess Dress uniform

devil’s claw (c.1850) the broad arrow on convicts’ uniform

fruit salad (Service slang) a large collection of medal ribbons which runs to three or more rows

SUITS YOU

There are all kinds of useful names for specific parts of clothing. Imagine how much easier life could be if you could define which pocket your keys are kept in or why exactly you have to turn down that fourth helping of turkey …

gerve (US late 19C) the breast-pocket in a jacket

britch (US late 19C) the inside jacket pocket

coppish (Glamorgan) the part of the trousers that have buttons in front

slave (US military slang) the part of a garment covering an arm only

yule-hole (Scots b.1911) the last hole to which a man could stretch his belt at a Christmas feast

REBELS IN BOATERS

Boys at Winchester College developed a rich lingo to describe how they wore their uniform. You could sport …

a fringe (1920) to allow the bottom of one’s gown to become tattered

an advertisement (1892) to turn down the collar of a College gown to show the velvet

an angle (1920) to wear your straw hat crooked

Or more precisely:

a halo (1920) to have your hat tilted like a halo so that the hair was showing in front

PERUKE

Looking round at all the shaven heads and brillos of today, perhaps men should consider a return to something that was once an essential accessory, even if the language used to describe it was somewhat less than heroic:

cauliflower (1753) a large white wig, such as is worn by the dignified clergy and formerly by physicians

dildo (1688) a cylindrical or ‘sausage’ curl on a wig

caxon (1756) a worn-out wig

Nazarene foretop (1785) the foretop of a wig made in imitation of Christ’s head of hair, as represented by the painters and sculptors

TOPPING

Or else, fly in the face of contemporary fashion and sport some other headgear:

liripipe (1737) the long tail of a graduate’s hood

cow’s breakfast (Canadian slang) a large straw hat

gibus (1848) an opera or crush hat

havelock (1861) a cloth hanging from the