why are glasses called 'bins'?

m4roon77 | 15:52 Mon 19th Jan 2004 | Phrases & Sayings

8 Answers

Can anyone tell me why people call glasses 'bins', i also call them bins but i havnt got a clue why.

That's Him That's Him

As white as a _ _ _ _ _ ?

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Quizmonster

Binoculars.

darth vader

i thought it was cockney rhyming slang, QM? bins -> bin lids -> giggs -> glasses

m4roon77

Question Author

Is it me? or does the above answer from Darth Vader make no sense at all?

Quizmonster

Darth, A 'bin' - on the basis of 'bin-lid' - is sometimes used in rhyming slang for a 'kid', so 'bins' would be 'kids/youngsters' in that context. 'Bins', as in the question here, has nothing to do with rhyming slang; the word is simply an abbreviation of 'binoculars' in exactly the same way as 'specs' is an abbreviation of 'spectacles'. Cheers

gothichedgehog

Bins are receptacles and that rhymes with spectacles

David_Oz

Derived from binoculars, it's predominantly gay slang (England)

Cloverjo

Definitely short for binoculars.

SlammerJammer

I've always been told that bins is short for 'binoculars'. Back in the day binoculars were also called 'field glasses' or 'simply' glasses, so I'm pretty sure thats the explanation.

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