# I'm tired of waiting, I'll take my pants off

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-waiting-ill-take-my-pants-off/68878>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 15, 2001, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-waiting-ill-take-my-pants-off/68878 "2001-06-15T01:47:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-waiting-ill-take-my-pants-off/68878/1 "2001-06-15T01:47:29Z")

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So it’s not something I, personally, would do. But spontaneous depantsing is something impatient apparently do, otherwise, why the phrase “keep your pants on”?

In other words, where the heck did this seemingly asinine phrase come from? The day when there weren’t enough toilets/bathrooms to go around? From busy wives with really horny husbands? Somebody let me know already. Or else.

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**Author:** ![Amedeus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Amedeus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amedeus)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-waiting-ill-take-my-pants-off/68878/2 "2001-06-15T01:50:10Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by KKBattousai \*  
> Somebody let me know already. Or else. \*\*

Or else… you’ll take your pants off?

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**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-waiting-ill-take-my-pants-off/68878/3 "2001-06-15T02:11:04Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Amedeus \*  
> Or else… you’ll take your pants off? \*\*

Yes. Desperate times call for desparate measures.

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-waiting-ill-take-my-pants-off/68878/4 "2001-06-15T03:13:30Z")

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I can’t vouch for it, but according to [Phrase Origins](http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsIndex.htm) it is variation of **keep your shirt on** , referring to the removal of one’s shirt prior to engaging in a fistfight.

There are two similar phrases in _Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable_: **keep your hair on** and **keep your wool on** , both meaning “don’t lose your temper”.

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**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-waiting-ill-take-my-pants-off/68878/5 "2001-06-15T03:21:57Z")

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I’ll tell you, but you’ll have to take your pants off first. 😉

Upon previewing I see that **bibliphage** beat me to it. From [Phrase Origins](http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsIndex.htm):

> [@](#):
>
> **Keep your pants on**
> 
> Meaning: Calm down, be patient.  
> Example: I will be off the telephone in a minute, so keep your pants on.  
> Origin: Appears to suggest that one should calm down because romance is not imminent.
> 
> This phrase is actually a derivation of “keep your shirt on”.&nbsp;&nbsp; It is an interesting example of how phrases can adapt to obscure the origin.
> 
> **Keep your shirt on**
> 
> Meaning: Calm down, be patient.  
> Example: Just keep your shirt on, dinner is almost ready.  
> Origin: Before modern manufacturing techniques, shirts, and all clothes for that matter, required a lot of labor to make.&nbsp;&nbsp; They were more expensive than they are today.&nbsp;&nbsp; Someone thinking of starting a fight might take off his shirt to prevent damage.&nbsp;&nbsp; Telling someone to “keep his shirt on” was equivalent to telling him “I don’t want to fight”.
> 
> This phrase has been twisted into the equivalent “keep your pants on”.

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**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-waiting-ill-take-my-pants-off/68878/6 "2001-06-15T03:42:59Z")

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Actually, it was **bibliphage** ’s sexier and smarter twin **bibliophage** who beat me to it.

::sigh::