trousers worn by men in the past, which came down as far as their knees rather than their ankles
knee pants in American English
plural noun
knee-length pants, esp. those formerly worn by boys considered too young to wear full-length trousers (often used as a term symbolizing youth)
I haven't felt this way since I was in knee pants
Word origin
[1865–70]This word is first recorded in the period 1865–70. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: batting average, racism, steamroller, tick-tack-toe, valence