Knickers: Encyclopedia II - Knickers - Undergarments for Women

Knickers - Undergarments for Women

In Britain, knickers is a term for panties or similar women's undergarments: "Don't get your knickers in a twist" (i.e. "Don't panic," or, in US usage "don't get your panties in a wad."). George Cruikshank, whose illustrations are classic icons for Charles Dickens' works, also did the illustrations for Irving's droll History of New York when it was published in London. He showed the old-time Knickerbockers in their loose Dutch breeches, and by 1859, short loose ladies undergarments, a kind of abbreviated version of pantalettes or pantaloons, were knickers in England. After World War I, very loose ladies' knickers were called "taxi treats", when the driver was asked to take the long way round the Park.

The British sense may have supplanted the American sense as of 2005, at least among younger listeners; though not widely used in the United States, the British form is at least widely understood.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Undergarments for Women", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki