Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a joc. term for any form of breeches.

1581		B. Riche Farewell to Military Profession (1992) 316: In their hose so many fashions, [...] sometimes garragaskins breeched like a bear, sometimes close to the dock like a devil in play, wanting but a tail.
1583		P. Stubbes Anatomie of Abuses 25: The Gally-hosen are made very large and wide, reaching downe to their knees onely.
1592		Greene Defence of Conny-Catching 56: The venetian and the gallogascaine is stale, and trunke slop out of vse, the rounde hose bumbasted close to the breech [...] is now common to euery cullion in the country.
1609		Dekker Gul’s Horne-Booke 6: There was then neither the Spanish slop, nor the Skipper’s galligaskin.
1652		Jonson, Fletcher & Middleton Widdow IV i: 1 sut. Beggery will prove the spunge. 2 sut. Spunge i’ thy gascoyns, Thy gally-gascoyns.
1664		C. Cotton Virgil Travestie (1765) Bk IV 90: And now this Swabber, by the Malkins, / Thunders up Dido’s Gally-Gaskins.
1735		Dyche & Pardon New General Eng. Dict. n.p.: Galligaskins A sort of wide-knee’d Breeches worn over others.
1744		J. Broadbottom Bog-House Poem 31: With Galligaskins loos’d [...] Bending oblique, his Postern he applies.
1785		‘Mistress Stitch in Clover’ in Nightly Sports of Venus 32: She gives an intimation, To Galligaskins, and if he’s inclin’d, He will accept of Madam’s invitation, Just as it suits, before you or behind.
1791		‘Anthony Pasquin’ Shrove Tuesday 36: I’d watch the Lown, / Blow at his breech, and burn his galligaskins.
1811		Lancaster Gaz. 20 July 4/1: His galligaskins were of corduroy.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London II 202: His galligaskins, that had long withstood / The winter’s fury and encroaching frost / By Time subdued,—what will not Time subdue, / Now horrid rents disclosed, portending agues.
1834		R. Southey Doctor 338/2: He had exchanged his petticoats for the garb-masculine, denominated galligaskins.
1848		G.W.M. Reynolds Mysteries of London II (2nd series) 34: ‘Nor, galligaskins, sir,’ I said.
1859		G.A. Sala Twice Round the Clock 194: Corduroy or drab cloth smalls and leggings; nay, even the mighty plush galligaskins of coachmanhood.
1867		J. Greenwood Unsentimental Journeys 100: The low-minded costermonger [...] who laughs to scorn galligaskins and knickerbockers.
1872		C.S. Calverley ‘The Cock & The Bull’ Works (1901) 111: I [...] Donn’d galligaskins, antigropeloes, / And so forth.
1882		G.A. Sala in Living London (1883) Nov. 498: Behold that master of the grotesque encased in the well-known green coat, white hat, striped galligaskins, and hessian boots.
1897		C. Whibley ‘Moll Cutpurse’ Book of Scoundrels 69: The jerkin, the doublet, the galligaskins were put on to serve the practical purposes of life.
1932		S. Beckett Dream of Fair to Middling Women (1993) 83: Clap a padlock on your Greek galligaskins ere I’m quick and living in hope and glad to go snacks with my twingle-twangler .
1956		K. Amis letter 4 Nov. in Leader (2000) 492: Go on, fill yer firkin galligaskins.