Vocabulary - Clothes

Here is some useful vocabulary related to clothes*

Dress - this is an item of clothing worn by women. It covers the body and goes down the legs - usually to the knees.

Skirt - this is the short dress that starts at the waist and goes down to the knees… unless it’s a mini-skirt. Every schoolboy’s favourite hobby: looking up the teacher’s skirt.

Trousers - (“pants” in US English) these are the things you wear to cover your legs. You know you’re getting old when you get that tight feeling around the waist and you have to replace all your old trousers.

Socks - these are the things you wear on your feet and inside your shoes. Place your socks over your head in situations of extreme cold.

Shirt - this is the thing you wear on the top half of your body. The sleeves are multipurpose and can be used for a variety of tasks, including wiping your mouth and cleaning tables. Jacket - this is the item of clothing that you wear over your shirt to look smart. A rolled-up jacket is ideal as a pillow for those afternoon naps on park benches.

Blouse - this is a loose, light shirt worn by women.

Blazer - this is a type of uniform jacket that is worn by groups of people, including people in sports teams and schoolchildren. Convert your ordinary old jacket into a flash new blazer by painting your buttons gold.

Overalls - this is a pair of trousers and shirt joined to form one piece of material. Overalls are great for people who find it hard to choose what to wear in the morning; they also make you look like an electrician.

Pullover - (sweater, jersey, jumper) - this is the object you wear over your shirt to keep you warm. It is often made of wool and it messes up your hair every time you put it on.

Cardigan - this is the type of jersey with buttons at the front. Very popular with middle-aged men and schoolchildren.

Raincoat - this is the long coat that supposedly keeps you dry when it rains. Excellent for giving you that North Sea fisherman look, although you may feel silly wearing it if it isn’t raining.

Suit - this consists of a matching jacket and trousers. Buy Armani to give yourself the stylish, executive look.

Waistcoat - this is the jacket with no arms that men often wear under their suits. Make your own waistcoat by cutting off the arms of old jackets.

Stockings - these are the nylon objects women wear over their legs. They go up as high as your thighs. A pair of stockings over your face and head is ideal for concealing your identity during bank robberies.

Tights - these are similar to stockings although they go up to the stomach area. G L O S S A R Y

* These words are all in British English.

a waist n the area around your stomach that grows as you get older to replace vb to substitute; to put something in place of another thing a task n a job to wipe vb to clean a matching jacket and trousers n a jacket and trousers that are the same colour and material a thigh n the upper part of your leg smart adj formal and elegant rolled-up adj if you “roll up” clothing, you make it into a little ball so you can put your head on it a nap n a short sleep in the afternoon a bench n a long chair in a park where you can sit flash adj impressive and nice