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Everyone has clothes. The exact look of those clothes may vary culture to culture and from person to person, but the intent is still the same: to protect our bodies and express ourselves.
That’s why there are so many other words for clothes. In this post, we’ll be showing you slang words for clothes, as well as explaining how to properly use each term.
Slang Words for Clothes (in Alphabetical Order)
A
ABC Party
Meaning:
- (Noun): Acronym for “anything but clothes” party. At these types of parties, attendees must find a way to clothe themselves without wearing actual clothes.
- Example: “I made a dress out of a garbage bag to wear at the ABC party.”
More Like This: Slang Words for Party
B
Banana Hammock
Meaning:
- (Noun): An extremely tight men’s swimsuit that leaves nothing to the imagination.
- Example: “I’ve been checking out that guy in the banana hammock over there for several minutes now.”
Barn Door
Meaning:
- (Noun): The zipper area over your crotch on pants.
- Example: “Make sure you shut your barn door for modesty’s sake.”
Birthday Suit
Meaning:
- (Noun): The state of not wearing any articles of clothing. Comes from the fact that you were naked when you born (your birthday).
- Example: “He told me to wear nothing but my birthday suit for our date. What does that even mean?”
Budgie Smugglers
Meaning:
- (Noun): Tight male bathing swimming suit. Synonymous to banana hammock.
C
Cacks
Meaning:
- (Noun): Irish slang for underwear.
- Example: “I can see her cacks from here. Should we tell her?”
Cattin’ it Up
Meaning:
- (Verb): Dressing yourself up in your best clothes with the intent of attracting women.
- Example: “I’m cattin’ it up tonight so I can chase some tail.”
Clobber
Meaning:
- (Noun): Generalized word for clothes. Can be used pretty much whenever you’d say clothes.
College Shower
Meaning:
- (Noun): When someone sprays their clothes with things like Glade and Febreeze to make them smell good rather than washing them.
- Example: “Don’t worry, I took a quick college shower. Now, let’s get to that party.”
D
Daisy Dukes
Meaning:
- (Noun): Extremely short shorts, usually made from denim. The phrase comes from the show The Dukes of Hazzard, in which one of the characters, Daisy, wears short shorts.
- Example: “I always feel sexiest when I’m wearing my daisy dukes.”
Decked Out
Meaning:
- (Adjective): When someone is wearing their nicest clothing and accessories.
- Example: “He got all decked out so he could impress women at the bar.”
Dome Piece
Meaning:
- (Noun): A hat.
- Example: “You like my new dome piece?”
F
Fashion Police
Meaning:
- (Noun): People who are overly critical and judgmental of what other people are wearing.
- Example: “Who are you to tell me what to wear? The Fashion Police?”
Fashion Statement
Meaning:
- (Noun): When someone wears clothes that are unique and meant to draw the eye.
- Example: “She’s making a fashion statement by wearing a garbage bag for a dress.”
Fit
Meaning:
- (Noun): Shortened version of the word “outfit.” Can be used whenever you’d say outfit.
- Example: “I bought my new fit at the mall yesterday.”
Floordrobe
Meaning:
- (Noun): Clothing that is taken off the floor and worn instead of being hung up or washed.
- Example: “He gets all his clothes from his exclusive floordrobe.”
Fly
Meaning:
- (Noun): The zipper over your crotch on a pair of pants. Can be used similarly to barn door.
G
Garms
Meaning:
- (Noun): Alternate way of saying “garments.” Another general word for clothing.
Gear
Meaning:
- (Noun): This is another generalized way to refer to clothing.
Getup
Meaning:
- (Noun): Your outfit. Use this one like you would say “fit.”
Go Commando
Meaning:
- (Verb): Not wearing underwear underneath your clothes.
- Example: “It’s laundry day, and I’m out of clean underwear. Guess I’m going commando.”
Gums
Meaning:
- (Noun): Your clothing. Can be used anytime you would otherwise say clothes.
J
Jorts
Meaning:
- (Noun): Denim shorts. This word comes from a combination of “jeans” and “shorts.”
- Example: “She loves wearing jorts because she thinks they match with anything.”
Learn More: Slang Words for Legs
L
Lid
Meaning:
- (Noun): A hat. Can be said similarly to dome piece.
M
Mow the Laundry
Meaning:
- (Verb): The act of removing laundry from your floor and washing it. This occurs when you have a layer on your floor, like a layer of grass, and you reduce its size by cleaning it up.
- Example: “I can’t go out today. I’ve got to mow the laundry, or my mom will get mad.”
N
Number
Meaning:
- (Noun): An item of clothing, which is usually revealing and worn by a woman.
- Example: “She’s wearing a spicy little number today.”
O
OTC
Meaning:
- (Expression): Over the clothes. This is usually used to refer to sexual acts that take place while clothing is still on, such as groping.
- Example: “She only lets me touch her OTC.”
P
PJs
Meaning:
- (Noun): Acronym that stands for “pajamas.” Unlike many other acronyms, you can say this one out lout or in text form.
- Example: “Make sure you put on your PJs before bed.”
Poppin’ Tags
Meaning:
- (Verb): To buy something. Usually used in reference to buying new clothes. This phrase became especially popular with Macklemore’s 2012 song, “Thrift Shop.”
- Example: “I’ve only got $20 in my pocket, but that’s more than enough to pop some tags at the thrift shop.”
Prejamas
Meaning:
- (Noun): Clothes you wear at home that aren’t meant for going out, but aren’t meant to wear to bed, either. It’s usually something like sweats and a t-shirt.
- Example: “I’m hanging out at home all day, so I’ve got prejamas on.”
R
Rags
Meaning:
- (Noun): Another generalized term for clothing. Typically, this describes worn-out or ugly clothing.
S
Sloth Cloth
Meaning:
- (Noun): A ratty old t-shirt that you’d wear at home, but not out in public.
- Example: “I’m not going to send you a selfie. I’m wearing a sloth cloth right now.”
Strip
Meaning:
- (Verb): To remove your clothes.
- Example: “It’s so hot outside that I look forward to getting home, stripping, and taking a cold shower.”
Sunday Best
Meaning:
- (Noun): Your fanciest clothes. This is typically applied to clothes you’d wear to church on Sunday.
- Example: “Make sure you wear your Sunday best to church this week.”
T
Threads
Meaning:
- (Noun): A word that just means clothes. You can say this any time you would say outfit or getup.
Tux
Meaning:
- (Noun): Shortened version of tuxedo, a fancy suit you wear to formal events.
- Example: “My boyfriend looks so handsome when he wears a tux.”
W
Wardrobe Malfunction
Meaning:
- (Noun): When your clothes deteriorate or fall apart while you’re wearing them. Generally, this means ripping, tearing, or falling off so that part of your body is exposed.
- Example: “Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl in 2004.”
Wearables
Meaning:
- (Noun): A term that refers to your current outfit.
Wife Beater
Meaning:
- (Noun): A tank top worn by a man.
- Example: “It’s hot out, so I’m going to wear a wife beater while I grill.”
Wrap Up
Going shopping for some new threads? Hopefully, this list of slang words for clothes helped you discover interesting ways of referring to your new outfits or your old favorites.
While you’re learning slang related to clothing, why not learn slang for other things, too? Be sure to read our article about slang words for cat.