▪ I. kecks, kecksie
variants of kex, kexy.
▪ II. kecks, n. Brit. slang and regional (chiefly north. and Sc.).
Brit. /kɛks/, U.S. /kɛks/
Forms: 19– kecks, 19– kegs, 19– keks
[Probably originally a variant of kicks, plural of kick n.1 (see sense 6a).]
With pl. concord. Trousers; pockets (rare). Also: underpants, knickers. Also in fig. contexts. Cf. kickseys n.
| 1900 A. H. Lewis Sandburrs xxviii. 156, I won't do a t'ing but make it a t'ousand dollars in d' kecks of them ducks who's doin that song. 1906 A. H. Lewis Confess. Detective i. ii. 17 Every one of 'em's a crook; half of 'ems's got knockout drops or chloroform bottles in their kecks right now. |
| 1961 E. Partridge Dict. Slang. (ed. 5) II. 1156/2 Kecks, the Liverpool shape (c. 19–20) of kicks, trousers. 1966 F. Shaw et al. Lern Yerself Scouse 36 Dis pur a kecks is too tight. These trousers are too tight. 1966 ‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 105 Take 'is kecks down, put a person in his place. 1974 P. Wright Lang. Brit. Industry xvii. 161 The degrading image of the housewife wearing kegs. 1992 New Musical Express 9 May 45/6 ‘Nevermind’ catches the industry with its proverbial kecks down and the plan is once more in pieces. 1993 I. Welsh Trainspotting 143 The last thing Renton wanted to hear, hungover, in a strange place, wearing only his keks, was a male voice. 2000 J. Goodwin Danny Boy vi. 134, I sat down next to him and started pulling his boots and kecks off. |