# Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 1)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 13, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674 "2020-04-13T03:19:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 7133

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**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\
**Post date:** [August 5, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7133 "2023-08-05T18:47:32Z")

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Having read this in a post by @Beckdawrek:

> [@Where do these stains on my pants come from?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-these-stains-on-my-pants-come-from/372573/17):
>
> …ETA, My Daddy called civilian khakis “chinos”…

(and BTW I never heard the term “civilian khakis” before - maybe it’s exclusively “chinos” in the UK) I found myself wondering, _where does the word chinos come from?_ Here’s your answer:

> **[Chino cloth | Etymology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chino_cloth#Etymology)**
>
> As the cloth itself was originally made in China, the trousers were known in Spanish as pantalones chinos (Chinese pants), which became shortened to simply "chinos" in English.

Short and sweet.

j

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