blue jeansn.adj.
/ˌbluː ˈdʒiːnz/, /ˈbluː dʒiːnz/, U.S. /ˈblu ˌdʒinz/ Originally U.S.
A. n.
1. Blue jean cloth. Cf. blue jean n., jean n. 2a. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1823 Illinois Gaz. 19 July 1/1 A coat of blue jeans.
1872 Appletons' Jrnl. 8 June 643/2 Miss H wore a polonaise made of blue jeans.
1889 Good Housek. 7 Dec. 55/1 Inexpensive portieres are made of blue jeans or overall cloth.
1902 Everybody's Mag. Jan. 71/2 They have a little ‘ready money’ in their pockets, and can..buy a few yards of blue jeans.
1913 46th Ann. Rep. (Indiana Boys' School) 9 The clothing worn in the institution is made of blue jeans for winter and khaki cloth for summer.
2. Trousers made of blue jean cloth or (in later use) blue denim, now typically reinforced with rivets at points of strain. Cf. jean n. 2b, Levi's n.Originally an article of hard-wearing workwear, blue jeans are now worn widely as informal clothing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and lower body > [noun] > trousers > types of > made from specific material
shiverines1663
nankeen1770
overall1782
corduroys1791
ducks1825
webs1825
kerseys1833
moleskin1836
cord1837
kerseymeres1840
blue jeans1842
grey1860
mole trousers1860
chaparreras1861
Bedford cord1862
velveteens1862
dungarees1872
moles1879
chaps1884
chaparejos1887
oiler1889
greyers1900
flannels1911
Levi's1926
denim1932
chino1943
wrangler1947
Bedfords1954
sweats1956
sweatpants1957
1842 C. M. Kirkland Forest Life II. xxx. 8 The young gentleman in the blue jeans..must have a paragraph to himself.
1892 Hampshire Advertiser 24 Sept. 7/6 If I wore blue jeans and a flannel shirt they'd always look new.
1921 Z. Grey Call of Canyon (1924) v. 103 He wore black sombrero, flannel shirt, blue jeans stuffed into high boots, and long, big-roweled spurs.
1973 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 4 Aug. 7/3 He wore prison-issue bluejeans.
2000 S. Heighton Shadow Boxer ii. vi. 192 She..squats on her biker-boot heels, blue jeans stretched taut over her thighs.
B. adj. (attributive).
1. Made of blue jean cloth or blue denim. Cf. blue jean adj. 1. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [adjective] > other
fustian1537
calico1612
Surat1643
corduroy1789
velveteen1824
blue jean1826
dungaree1836
blue jeans1871
percale1880
Aertex1896
1871 J. H. Banka State Prison Life ii. iii. 337 Twelve blue-jeans coats, twelve pairs of blue-jeans unmentionables, twelve pairs of cowhide boots.
1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xix. 182 He had an old battered-up slouch hat on, and..ragged old blue jeans britches stuffed into his boot tops.
1904 Rep. Adjutant Gen. State Maryland 1902–3 (Table military property) 151 Blue Jeans Jumpers... Blue Jeans Trousers.
1950 Jefferson City Post-Tribune (Missouri) 19 Jan. 3/3 (advt.) Young Men's Tu-Tone (Tan & Brown)..Moccasin Toe..Blue Jean Casual Shoes.
2. Frequently hyphenated. Of or characteristic of a person who wears blue jeans; spec. colloquial, informal. Cf. blue jean adj. 2.
ΚΠ
1949 Billboard 24 Dec. 100/2 Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me?.. Striking original conception of the..hit with steady-drive harmonica and guitar backing propelling a fine vocal. For the blue-jeans trade.
1957 J. C. Gerber Writer's Resource Bk. (rev. ed.) i. 23 A highly informal language... You have probably discovered that blue-jeans language does not do the job you want done.
1960 20th Cent. Dec. 557 A simple provincial gaucheness, a corny blue-jeans innocence.
2000 C. Whitcomb Designers in Resid. (2005) 136 (heading) Blue-jeans ease.
2009 B. W. Peretti Lift Every Voice 161 Many listeners' eagerness to shed the blue-jeans casualness of the rock era.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.adj.1823