Just so! And, if I'm to be honest, it does actually work with a proper proper Bristolian accent, which is the southern I was thinking of. Unfortunately, I never acquired the full Dave Prowse, being far too middle class. It is a loss I feel keenly.

It also rhymes well with a very northern accent where the a in pants is the same as the one in chance!

If you are of a native southern pronunciation (as I used to be, before the North claimed me, and revert back to when visiting my mum, much to the horror of the children), you can read 'pants' as 'parnts'.