Dutchman's breeches

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Dutchman's breeches

Where it comes from

In the case of the plants, named because their flower petals resemble baggy pants worn by Dutch settlers to North America (compare slops, knickerbockers).

noun

plural, plural only A plant of the species Dicentra cucullaria, native to eastern North America and the Columbia River basin.
Similar: breeches-flower, boys and girls, girls and boys, Indian boys and girls
plural, plural only A plant of the species Lamprocapnos spectabilis, formerly Dicentra spectabilis, similar to D. cucullaria, but red or pink.
colloquial, plural, plural only Something proverbially blue, used in phrases relating to a clear blue sky, as in "enough blue sky to make [or patch] a Dutchman's breeches", etc.
Similar: Dutchman's trousers
plural, plural only Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see Dutchman, -'s, breeches. A Dutchman's breeches, in full taste, / Two contrasted extremes divide; / Buttons, like platters, at the waist, / And studs, like peas, along the side.

Translations

Every language

noun Dicentra cucullaria

Français	dicentre à capuchon
Deutsch	Kapuzen-Herzblume

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MLA

"Dutchman's breeches." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dutchman's%20breeches. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

Dutchman's breeches. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dutchman's%20breeches

Chicago

"Dutchman's breeches." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dutchman's%20breeches.

BibTeX

@misc{dutchman_s_breeches_2026,
  title = {Dutchman's breeches},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dutchman's%20breeches},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}