big-boy pants

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See also: big boy pants

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From big boy.

Noun

big-boy pants pl (plural only)

  1. (informal) Pull-up underwear worn by a boy during and after toilet training, as contrasted to the diapers worn during infancy.
    Hypernym: underpants
    Coordinate term: big-girl pants
    • 1983, Randall Wallace, So Late Into the Night, Doubleday, published 1983, →ISBN, page 29:
      Taking the baby from Kidd she snatched the screaming Davey by the wrist and half-carried him up the stairs yelling, "You wanna wear big-boy pants? Big boys wear big-boy pants, but big boys use the potty!"
    • 1987, Eleanor Weisberger, When Your Child Needs You: A Parents' Guide Through the Early Years, Adler & Adler, published 1987, →ISBN, page 31:
      "And so," you continue, "I'm putting your diapers away because you can now wear big boy pants and do your poop and pee-pee in the potty chair all by yourself."
    • 2000, Timothy A. Buzzard, Guru in a Little Boy Suit‎, Trafford Publishing, published 2000, →ISBN:
      “We've switched to big-boy pants. No more diapers,” his mom said a little too loud, so Alec would hear.
  2. (informal, figuratively) A notional pair of trousers or underwear worn by a male when acting maturely.
    Antonyms: bitchy pants, grumpy pants, scaredy pants
    Coordinate term: big-girl pants
    • 2011, David H. Hoffman, "Ugly election rhetoric" , Suburban Life, 25 May 2011, page A8:
      If Horwitz is planning on running for office again in the future (and it certainly looks that way), perhaps it's time he put on his big-boy pants and engage in civil discourse.
    • 2012 April 12, Alissa Gulin, “Keystone Pipeline: It won't unlock the future”, in The Diamondback, volume 102, number 125, University of Maryland, page 4:
      He needs to put on his big boy pants and make the tough choice.
    • 2014, "Jewish Community Football League Playoffs and Championship!", The Baltimore Jewish Home, 11 December 2014 - 25 December 2014, Volume 1, Issue 21, page 19:
      Even with a broken finger, Wach put on his big boy pants, wrapped his hand, and dominated on the offensive line all game.
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