the little side pocket on jeans, what are they for?

my favourite reply:

it is for tiny things that must not get lost but may be discarded by the time it come to forgetting to empty it prior to putting the jeans in the wash.

except in my case i never get the second bit right and put things in that are so essential that i couldn’t possibly forget to take them out before i wash my jeans but always do. one day i’ll learn.

the genuine answer seems to be that the small pocket evolved from a larger pocket for holding your watch separately from the other scratchy things in your pockets in an age before we put watches on our wrists. i’ve always heard them referred to as condom pockets though i’ve mostly stashed tampons in them myself. it’s a very bad idea to leave those in for the wash.