long johns
long-legged underwear
TRANSLATION
long johns = lange Unterhosen --- GOOGLE INDEX long johns: approximately 530,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
"I'm wearing LONG JOHNS, a jogging suit, a scarf, hat, gloves, a sweater and a coat, and I'm still cold."
Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Ohio, U.S.A.
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Women police officers are being forced to wear ill-fitting men's uniforms and this is affecting their professionalism, according to a new report. The West Yorkshire Police had issued some female officers with men's LONG JOHNS, complete with fly opening.
The Guardian
Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Ohio, U.S.A.
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Women police officers are being forced to wear ill-fitting men's uniforms and this is affecting their professionalism, according to a new report. The West Yorkshire Police had issued some female officers with men's LONG JOHNS, complete with fly opening.
The Guardian
Did you
know?
long johns
noun phrase
- underwear with long legs, worn under your outer clothes to keep you warm
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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WORD ORIGIN
A still unanswered question is why are long johns called long johns? Was the inventor named John? No one knows for sure. One theory is that they are named after American boxing legend John L. Sullivan (October 12 1858 – February 2 1918).
Apart from his boxing exploits, Sullivan was famous for the long pants that resembled underwear, which he always wore in the ring. However this is pure speculation and has never been confirmed. He was the first American sports hero to become a national celebrity and the first American athlete to earn over one million dollars.
Sullivan is generally considered the first heavyweight champion of "gloved boxing" and the last heavyweight champion of "bare-knuckle boxing" under the London Prize Ring rules. These are a list of boxing rules issued in the mid-1800s, which governed the conduct of prize fighting/bare-knuckle boxing for over 100 years.
Previously there was no limit to the number of rounds that could be fought. When a man could not come to scratch (a line that was "scratched" in the ground where the boxers began the fight), he would be declared loser and the fight would be brought to a halt. This is said to be one of the origins of the expression "start from scratch."
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SYNONYMS
thermal underwear, long underwear, thermals
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION
"Take some long johns if you intend hiking in January"
noun phrase
- underwear with long legs, worn under your outer clothes to keep you warm
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
---
WORD ORIGIN
A still unanswered question is why are long johns called long johns? Was the inventor named John? No one knows for sure. One theory is that they are named after American boxing legend John L. Sullivan (October 12 1858 – February 2 1918).
Apart from his boxing exploits, Sullivan was famous for the long pants that resembled underwear, which he always wore in the ring. However this is pure speculation and has never been confirmed. He was the first American sports hero to become a national celebrity and the first American athlete to earn over one million dollars.
Sullivan is generally considered the first heavyweight champion of "gloved boxing" and the last heavyweight champion of "bare-knuckle boxing" under the London Prize Ring rules. These are a list of boxing rules issued in the mid-1800s, which governed the conduct of prize fighting/bare-knuckle boxing for over 100 years.
Previously there was no limit to the number of rounds that could be fought. When a man could not come to scratch (a line that was "scratched" in the ground where the boxers began the fight), he would be declared loser and the fight would be brought to a halt. This is said to be one of the origins of the expression "start from scratch."
---
SYNONYMS
thermal underwear, long underwear, thermals
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION
"Take some long johns if you intend hiking in January"
