h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Interesting concept.
Long shorts or short trousers.
Could they not be "Trorts" or "Shrousers" ??
Ask any 13 year old school boy and he will certainly be wearing "Trorts" at the beginning of term and "Shrousers" by the end!!

I remember having to make a pair of these as a required project in my 7th grade home economics class (which was also required). I actually attempted to make my pair out of somewhat staid material that resembled black palm tree leaves on a turquoise background, but my teacher insisted they be more "lively." So, I ended up with a pair of red, orange, yellow, green, and purple-splattered blobs on a light blue background. I'm proud to say that, though I made them, and I got an "A" on the project, I never once wore them. I did, however, own several pair of Span-Jans - anyone remember those?

I think jams have come back into fashion - with skaters at least. Last year, when I went to America it seemed almost every male under the age of 24 was wearing them.

Not quite the same thing . . . those are "baggies," not jams. These two fashion mistakes can be distinguished by the amount of "crotch room" they leave the adolescent male. Jams fit comfortably, with some room left to make sure there is no restriction, approximately an inch or so below the dangly bits. The seam of the crotch of a pair of baggies, by comparison, rest at about kneecap level. Think of jams as tropical-island-castaway-pants length, and baggies as I-got-these-as-a-hand-me-down-from-my-brother-who-is-ten-years-older-and-has-an-overactive-thyroid-problem length.