Knickerbockers (or knickers in the US; but in British English, "knickers" are underwear) are a form of baggy-kneed breeches, particularly popular in the early 20th-century United States. Golfers' plus twos and plus fours are similar.
: loose-fitting short pants gathered at the knee. chiefly British : underpants.
/ˈnɪkəs/ Knickers are underwear, especially women's underpants. Your little cousin's favorite knickers might be her blue and red Wonder Woman knickers. Knickers, meaning underpants, is primarily a British term, although Americans will usually know what you mean if you use it.
Popularity of the saying, “Don't Get Your Knickers in a Knot” One of the earliest versions of this saying was used by George Eliot (pseudonym of Mary Ann Cross) in her novel Romola published in 1863. In this, she writes, “thou hast got thy legs into twisted hose there”. Hose were basically men's tights or leggings.
Underwear protects the body from the environment and abrasion from outer clothes, as well as those garments from the body. It preserves modesty, by keeping the body covered in socially and morally acceptable forms.
When men wore loose trousers for playing sports they were sometimes called knickerbockers. However, in Britain, women's underwear were soon called knickerbockers too. In the late 19th century the word was shortened to knickers.
So, in British English: knickers refer to ladies underwear, while knickerbockers, sometimes abbreviated to knickers in American English, refer to the trousers worn by male golf players, which in British English are traditionally called breeches.
(idiomatic, derogatory) Having a superficially positive appearance that is belied by the reality, e.g., superficially elegant and beautiful but actually common. quotations ▼
English translation: stressed out, flustered, agitated
GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW) English term or phrase: get all caught up in your knickers. Selected answer: stressed out, flustered, agitated.
to become very upset about something, usually somet ... Other expressi ...
Trackie dacks are tracksuit trousers, and underdacks are underpants or knickers.
"Knickers" can also refer to male underwear, while the word panties generally refers only to female underwear. In Australia, male underpants are often referred to as "undies", although the word can also refer to panties.
A brassiere is the same as a bra.
Bawhair means pubic hair in Scotland but it also is used as a unit of measurement eg That car just missed me by a bawhair.
Derived from wee, meaning little, and ane meaning one, wean is a word most commonly used in the West of Scotland to refer to a young child, and is sometimes also spoken as wee yin or 'little one'. Wee is a word whose current meaning is in little dispute, but whose origins are interesting and complex.
“Aye” means “yes”, “wee” means “little or small” and “nae” means “no”.
Did you know: 1. For those who wear their underwear inside out – it's actually considered to be very lucky. Also there are those who may have been having a really unlucky day, the only way to turn it around was to wear underwear inside out!
French knickers (also called tap pants in the United States) are a type of women's underwear or lingerie. The term is predominantly used in the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia to describe a style of underpants that look similar to a pair of shorts.
Both phrases are used to refer to someone (or something) that is all flash and no substance.
knickers | Intermediate English
Br Knickers are women's and girl's underpants.
Items of underwear commonly worn by women today include brassieres (bras) and panties (also known as knickers), while men wear briefs, trunks, boxer shorts or boxer briefs.
The word jumper is usually used more in the UK. A jumper is a long-sleeved item worn on the top half of your body, and like a sweater, is usually considered knitted or crocheted, but also seen made of jersey fabric or cotton too.
Knickers can also be used in a general way to mean “panties.” Knickers appears in a few British idioms, including most commonly get one's knickers in a twist (or bunch or knot), which means “to get overly upset” and is typically used in a rude command not to do that.