Dutchman's Pants

Posted by R. Berg on March 14, 2001

In Reply to: Dutchman's Pants posted by ESC on March 14, 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).

There's a color called Dutch blue (Webster's Unabridged Dict., 1934). It may also be that fabric of that color was commonly used for trousers in Holland.

• Dressed to the nines DON ELLIS 03/28/01