• -pants

    Origin

    Extracted from fancypants.

    Full definition of -pants

    Suffix

    1. (informal, usually pejorative) Used with adjectives ending in -y to form nicknames based on a negative quality of a person.
      • 1986, Babette Cole, Princess Smartypants, Hamish Hamilton, ISBN 0-241-11885-9:title
      • 1999, Eden Robinson, Monkey Beach: A Novel, Abacus, (cited from Houghton Mifflin/Mariner Books, 2002, ISBN 978-0-618-21905-6), p. 91:We used to call her Miss Bossy Pants when she was a kid.
      • 2005, Lauren Myracle, Rhyme with Witches, Amulet Books, ISBN 978-0-8109-9215-3, p. 21:You had to pull one of your stupid disappearing tricks because you were being a pouty-pants.
      • 2012, April 21, Meghan McCarthy, "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1" episode, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:Gee, maybe her name should be "Princess Demandy Pants".
    2. bossypants, fancypants, smarty pants, greedy-pants, pouty pants

    Usage notes

    Usually the adjective must be two syllable long and end in -y, eventually with an interfix if the original adjective is only one syllable.

    As with fancypants usage has not yet settled as to whether this should be separate, linked with an hyphen as a suffixoid or fused like a normal affix.

    Derived terms

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