# What is the difference between slacks and pants? (Women's clothing in particular)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-slacks-and-pants-womens-clothing-in-particular/659243>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 24, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-slacks-and-pants-womens-clothing-in-particular/659243 "2013-05-24T17:22:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-slacks-and-pants-womens-clothing-in-particular/659243/21 "2013-05-26T16:35:41Z")

</div>

> [@MandaJo](#):
>
> To go back to the OP, one thing to consider is whether or not they are lined. Lined pants are always slacks. I’ve had non-lined pants I would also call slacks, but if someone told me “Go get me the slacks out of that pile of pants”, the first thing I would look for is one lined pair.

Agree with this. A couple of other things, construction-wise:

If the waistband is made out of two pieces of fabric instead of one, probably slacks.

If the stitching at the hemline is visible, probably not slacks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-slacks-and-pants-womens-clothing-in-particular/659243/22 "2013-05-27T00:49:00Z")

</div>

> [@Shakester](#):
>
> I wear pants under my trousers, which is where they’re supposed to be, unless you’re a superhero.

Actually, a superhero would wear underpants under his pants (no good superhero’s goin commando), then underpants over his pants, then trousers over those outer underpants for sake of his secret identity.

Man, they must get swamp crotch somthin fierce. No wonder Superman lives at the north pole. (south pole post crisis)

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-slacks-and-pants-womens-clothing-in-particular/659243.md?page=1)