www.alphadictionary.com

I was born in the mid 60's in NE Texas and have lived what I've thought to be a pretty well-rounded life. I had never heard anyone my age refer to panty hose (or just plain "hose" for short) as nylons until a neighbor close to my age, who moved to Texas from CT, came over and asked me to point her to the closest store that sold 'nylons.' It took me a second (maybe two) to figure out what she meant -- I recovered quickly, giving her directions as if I encountered that request daily, and sent her on her way.

Are there any other names out there for 'hose' other than nylons? A girl has to be prepared!

I've always called them stockings, myself. Especially if they're the gartered kind that I preferred, or the thigh-high type.

Stockings, of course. I've heard of stockings. But not lately.

Something got me to thinking about Lederhosen, that took me to hose>stockings, however lederhosen are not hose by any means but shorts with suspenders. From English to German <<hose>> goes to SCHLAUCH, STRUMPFWAREN, KNIEHOSE, HOSE, ABSPRITZEN, SPRITZEN , and hose from German to English I get TROUSERS, PANTS, SLACKS, BREECHES, HOSE. My question is The English idea of hose is a very tightfitting wrap on the legs but it has a much looser intrepretation in German, anyone have a good etymology for it? from breeches to stockings or tights.

mark

My family is from the Blue Ridge Mtns, NC but I was raised in Maryland. I call them nylons.

Growing up in Delaware, everyone always called them 'nylons'.

Originally women's stockings of any material only went about half way up the thigh. They were at various times held up by a garter belt (sometimes called a suspender belt); a garment worn over the underpants, to which a short double-ended fastener could be attached, with the other end attached to the stocking. At other times an elastic garter would be worn around the top end of the stocking.

The term panty hose came into common usage when, for the first time, a woman could choose between traditional stockings/hose, and a one piece stocking that terminated in a "panty", which could be worn over - in stead of - underpants; thus eliminating the need for garters and garter belts.

Here is a fascinating article on the invention of nylon, and how it was applied to hosery before it was to any other usage. http://invention.smithsonian.org/center ... drama.html. And this link is the history of stockings. http://www.stockingshq.com/articles/his ... istory.htm.

In my mind there is a big difference between stockings and hose. At least I have been programmed by my lovely wife to believe such, since, as a man, I never had to worry about these details, but having a little girl requires a different (more complete?) understanding of the world of apparel...

I now always think of stockings as the thicker, warmer material -- more sock-like maybe? (Of course, "stockings" can also be longer socks...) Hose, on the other hand (foot?), are lighter material, always made of thin nylon material.

Don't know if anyone else makes that distinction.

-Tim

I always called them "pantyhose" or "hose" for short. I do remember hearing my Grandmothers (who were born in 1911 and 1918) refer to them as nylons. I am in my late 30's and live in Indiana.