Clamdiggers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A style of casual pants typically made from denim, designed to be worn rolled up or cropped at the calf
2. A type of trousers that are short enough to expose the lower legs, often associated with a relaxed, nautical aesthetic
3. Cropped pants that end around the mid-calf, popular in summer and beach-related styles

Etymology: Clamdiggers are named for the people who dug for clams, not for any feature of the trousers themselves. The word is a compound of "clam," the shellfish, and "diggers," from "dig" plus the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who digs. Clam diggers worked the mudflats and sandy shores at low tide, and their trousers were cut short and rolled up so they would not soak through or drag in the wet sand. The style took its name from that working garment. The pants kept the name even after clamming ceased to be their purpose. Cropped trousers that stop around the calf have been worn well beyond the shoreline, so the term now describes the cut rather than the job. The compound is transparent: nothing in it has shifted in meaning, and the name simply outlived the activity that gave rise to it.

Synonyms: shellfishers, clam hunters