drawstring

The Art of Choosingの第二章 A Stranger in Strange Landsの冒頭を引用します。
On an August morning over 40 years ago, Kanwar Jit Singh Sethi woke at dawn to prepare for the day. He began with a ceremonial bath; wearing only the kachchha, the traditional Sikh undergarment of white drawstring shorts, he walked into the bathing room of his family's Delhi home.
これは著者の父親が結婚した時の事を記述している個所です。著者はインド出身の移民で、現在は米国に住んでいます。両親は親達が決めた結婚式当日まで会った事のない相手と結婚する多くのインド人の例を具体的に示しています。私が興味を覚えたのは "drawstring" の単語で、直訳すると引っ張る紐・糸ですが、後に 'shorts' があるので、"drawstring shorts" はゴムではなく紐で落ちないように縛るタイプの下着の様です。 "drawstring" の説明を辞書で確認します。
・Collins English Dictionary: a cord, ribbon, etc, run through a hem around an opening, as on the bottom of a sleeve or at the mouth of a bag, so that when it is pulled tighter, the opening closes: Sir, here, let me loosen your hood's drawstring - it is too tight.
・Dictionary.com: a string or cord that tightens or closes an opening, as of a bag, clothing, or the like, when one or both ends are pulled.: Even the hair dryer was displayed on a shelf in a decorative and pretty drawstring bag.
中々便利な単語ですね。