Meaning & use
Oxford bags
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Meaning
nounpluralBritishold-fashioned
Very wide, loose trousers that were fashionable among young men in Britain in the 1920s, first popular with university students.
Grammar: Plural only; use a pair of Oxford bags for one.
Patterns
- a pair of Oxford bags
In the photograph from 1925, he was wearing Oxford bags and a striped blazer.
My grandfather laughed about the pair of Oxford bags he wore as a student.
The costume designer chose Oxford bags to give the film a 1920s look.
Common combinations
- a pair of Oxford bags
- He bought a pair of Oxford bags for the party.
- wear Oxford bags
- Students in the twenties liked to wear Oxford bags.
- wide Oxford bags
- The wide Oxford bags flapped around his ankles.
- Oxford bags and a blazer
- He arrived in Oxford bags and a blazer.
- 1920s Oxford bags
- A museum displayed 1920s Oxford bags and straw hats.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flares
- Flares widen only below the knee and belong to the 1960s and 70s, while Oxford bags are wide all the way down.
- plus fours
- Plus fours are baggy trousers gathered below the knee, unlike the long, straight width of Oxford bags.
- palazzo pants
- Palazzo pants are wide trousers for women in modern fashion, whereas Oxford bags are a historical men's style.
Opposites
Word family
- Oxford proper noun
- the English university city
- bags noun
- informal British word for loose trousers
- trousers noun
- the general word for the clothing
Commonly confused: Oxford bags or Oxford shoes?
Oxford bags vs Oxford shoes
Oxford shoes are lace-up formal shoes and have nothing to do with trousers.
Practice
A man in a 1920s photograph is most likely wearing Oxford bags on his ______.
Choose one answer.
Oxford bags are wide trousers, so they are worn on the legs. Oxford shoes would go on the feet.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Oxford bags”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.