why are glasses called 'bins'?

[m4roon77]

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

[Quizmonster]

Binoculars.

[darth vader]

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

[m4roon77]

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.