All 9 Uses
breech
in
Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson
(Auto-generated)
- He wore a red silk waistcoat under a snuff-colored coat with silver buttons, a starched linen shirt, and black breeches.†
p. 19.1 *breeches = pants
- The boy wore a floppy red hat, his shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbow, the blue breeches of a sailor, and a pair of dusty boots.†
p. 29.5
- Four wore the coats, breeches, powdered wigs, and hats of merchants; one had papers tucked under his arm.†
p. 70.2
- The mayor had on a fine wig, properly powdered and pulled back, with a curl at the end of his queue, a sable coat and matching breeches, a maroon waistcoat, and a white silk cravat tied loosely around his neck, atop his shirt.†
p. 87.5
- Goldbuttons dropped his cloak on the floor and ran up the stairs as if his breeches were on fire.†
p. 107.4
- Now his coat was properly buttoned and his breeches tucked into his boots.†
p. 139.8
- It hung over a pair of working man's breeches that were cut off below his knee.†
p. 165.8
- Lockton wore a cardinal red satin waistcoat, black satin coat and breeches, and shoes with silver buckles.†
p. 209.2
- I've got to hem these breeches before the light fades.†
p. 253.8
Definitions:
-
(1)
(breech) rear
Most commonly used today in the phrase breech birth in reference to a baby who comes out of the birth canal butt-first rather than head-first.More-archaic senses seen in classic literature include:- breechcloth -- a form of loincloth consisting in a strip of material passed between the thighs and held up in front and behind by a belt or string
- breeches -- pants
- a cannon's breech -- the rear of a gun
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) More rarely,
breech can refer to the lower part of a pulley block.