When I’m wearing shorts, I like to joke that I’m not wearing pants.
Yeah it’s context-dependent. And the context is right there in the OP. The worker-from-home is describing his/her state of below-the-waist habillement (if I’m using the word correctly). I do NOT expect the worker to be admitting that the state is “nekkid.”
Funnily enough, two webcomics I follow had ‘not wearing pants’ as their punchline in the last couple days. This Joyce and Walky repeat and this Questionable Content new strip. Noteably, both Joe and Emily are wearing underpants.
Same here.
I think that this is what it’s come to mean during the recent months.
When I see cities reminding people to put on pants before going to the mailbox (even jokingly) I don’t think they have a problem with people wearing shorts or dresses or skirts outdoors. I think it’s just become shorthand for indecently underdressed.
This thread reminded me of a cable show that we watched some years ago. “Wreckreation Nation” on the Discovery Channel was about weird pastimes that people do in the USA. There was always a description that made the activities sound funnier. I felt they missed an opportunity by not covering Highland Games. (yes, I know they are not exclusive to the USA)
“Men and women showing off their strength. They throw heavy things like hammers and other heavy stuff for distance or height. They try to flip telephone poles end over end. And they aren’t wearing any pants.”
Well, that’s not the worst description I’ve seen of Highland Games. While strength is very important, that’s certainly not the only factor. Putting the stone? Yeah, that’s strength. Sheaf toss? You have to be strong, but you can learn the technique in a day’s practice. Cabers? I’ve beat men a lot stronger than myself in the caber toss.
Well sure if it lands on 'em.
I agree it can mean other states of undress, but the OP asks what I picture in my head. And that is someone in just underwear.
I also just don’t think the other choices apply. I do not think it means wearing shorts–that’s not undressed. And it’s also not “completely naked” as the pants have been specifically mentioned. If you want to include that, you say “The best thing about working at home is not having to get dressed.”
Without other situational cues, not wearing pants means wearing just underwear. Being pantless AND without underwear, but wearing a top of some kind, is doing a “Porky Pig” or “Donald Duck”.
Interesting results! It seems like most people broadly agree that “not wearing pants” means sitting around in your underwear, or something like it.
I started this poll because that’s how I interpret the phrase too - but in the context of people extolling the benefits of working from home, I couldn’t believe that they were really talking about sitting around in underwear! Seems pretty gross to me. If you wear a pair of shorts or pants or whatever on top of your underwear, don’t you wash the shorts after a few days (at most), because they get gross? What do you think is happening to your furniture without the shorts?