Britches are pants, especially the kind that end at or just below the knee. The word is old-fashioned and has a wonderfully antique sound to it, like something from a history book or classic story. When you read about colonial Americans or characters in Little House on the Prairie, you'll often find boys wearing britches with long stockings.

These days, people mostly use the word in certain expressions or when they want to sound playful or old-timey. You might hear someone say “too big for your britches,” which means acting conceited or more important than you really are, like a student who gets one good grade and suddenly thinks they're smarter than everyone else.

While we usually just say “pants” now, britches survives in rural areas and certain sayings. Horseback riders still sometimes wear riding britches, and you might hear the word on a farm or ranch. It's a reminder that language keeps echoes of earlier times, even after fashions change.