plus fours

American  

plural noun

1. long, baggy knickers for men, introduced before World War I and worn until the 1930s for sports activities, especially golf.

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plus fours British  

plural noun

1. men's baggy knickerbockers reaching below the knee, now only worn for hunting, golf, etc

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Other Word Forms

• plus-foured adjective

Etymology

Origin of plus fours

First recorded in 1915–20; so called because four inches are added to the length of ordinary knickers to give the desired looseness

Example Sentences

"There has been some great style, even going way back to plus fours," Scott said.

From Golf Digest

Payne Stewart, who competed in NFL-licensed plus fours and golf shirts, wisely refrained from wearing Giants or Jets gear at the U.S.

From Golf Digest

Those plus fours from the 1930s had already run their course a decade later, and the oversized shirts Fred Couples sported in the early '90s now look like intricately-designed pillow cases.

From Golf Digest

Sarazen, a go-his-own-way type who continued to wear plus fours when all the other guys had switched to pants, called his deuce a “dodo,” the flightless and extinct bird from the island of Mauritius.

From Golf Digest

Lagerfeld opened the show with lean jackets, fluted skirts and plus fours the color of heavy cream.

From Los Angeles Times