Dutchman's Pants

Posted by ESC on March 14, 2001

In Reply to: Dutchman's Pants posted by P. Stone on March 13, 2001

: Where did the phrase "I see the Ducthman's Pants" come from when referring to the first blue patch of sky during a rainy/cloudy day?

DUTCHMAN'S-BREECHES -- One of several derogatory terms using the word "Dutch." "The popular plant 'Dicentra cucullaria' the flowers resembling baggy breeches; patches of blue in a stormy sky, in allusion to patches on a Dutchman's trousers, or because there is just enough blue to make a cheap pair of pants for a Dutchman." From the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).

• Dutchman's Pants R. Berg 03/14/01