Wide hose or breeches formerly worn by seamen also called petticoat-trousers. P. Penilesse, in his Supplication to the Divell, says: "Some gally gascoynes or shipman's hose, like the Anabaptists," &c.
·noun ·pl Loose hose or breeches; leather leg quards. The word is used loosely and often in a jocose...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Breeches. ...
Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose