zoot suit

See also: zootsuit

English

A soldier and two men wearing zoot suits in Washington D.C. in 1942

Alternative forms

• zootsuit, zuit suit

Etymology

Zoot may be a Caló slang pronunciation of suit, thus making the term a tautology and reduplication.

Noun

zoot suit (plural zoot suits)

1. An outfit featuring a suit with broad shoulders, a long coat, and baggy trousers that taper to a tight fit at the ankles.

   Synonyms: (dated AAVE slang) drapes, zoot

   Meronym: pegged pants

   • 2003 December 18, Terry Castle, London Review of Books:

     Dexter Gordon was an idol around Central Avenue. He was tall. He wore a wide-brimmed hat that made him seem like he was about seven feet tall. He had a stoop to his walk and wore long zoot suits, and he carried his tenor in a sack under his arm.

2. (UK, military, slang) Synonym of goon suit (“waterproof rubber suit for pilots”)
   • 2019, Ellin Bessner, Double Threat: Canadian Jews, the Military, and World War II:

     Before his nap, Kaplan had put on all his clothes, including the wool-lined waterproof double-zippered survival suit nicknamed the zoot suit.

Derived terms

• zoot-suiter

See also

• reet pleat

Further reading

• zoot suit on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Zoot Suit Riots on Wikipedia.Wikipedia