To call knickers… knickers?!

[Elroq]

Ridiculous conversation with my friend today. We were out in town shopping and I said I wanted to go into a particular shop to buy some knickers. She gave a little laugh and said ‘Knickers? Are we eight?’ And I was like ‘Huh?’

Apparently she thinks that knickers are what kids call their underwear, whereas adults need to call them other things. I have literally never heard this theory, and was like ‘Well what do you call yours?!’ She tells me that she just says ‘pants’ or ‘underwear’, but to me ‘pants’ are what blokes wear or what Americans call trousers, and ‘underwear’ isn’t specific enough cos there are bras etc which are also underwear. Knickers is a perfectly fine word! She then suggested ‘panties’ which we both agreed made us want to vomit.

i’m pretty sure I made her argument look ridiculous, not least because the shop itself called them knickers. But please tell me that I’ve not been mis-labelling my smalls for the last 25 years??

I do always feel silly saying “knickers” because something about it just sounds silly, but I voted YANBU because I don’t have another word for them myself. I just feel silly every time I mentioned them so avoid it as much as possible 😄

I once had a heated discussion with my Russian employer on whether small boys wore knickers or pants. Her posh London nursery called them knickers whereas I was raised that girls wore knickers and boys wore pants.

Still knickers here or Nicky Nacky Noos to my daughter. Anything but panties is ok though!

Knickers is very old lady like. It’s pants or underwear or knickie-knackie-noos to my dd!

Skidders? 🤣🤢

I call them pants but my DDs call them knickers, or occasionally "knick-knocks", which always makes me laugh.

Really?? Everyone I know says pants to mean trousers (Newcastle) but I suppose “NE” covers a big area.

Who in the holiness of fuck calls them skidders?

I have never said the word “knickers”. Gives me the total ick

knickers it is

Shreddies is the Forces word I believe for the male undergarments.

Or Nik Noks

I've been saying pants for decades. Now changing to knickers. Excellent word.

I never knew this was so controversial!

Apart from the near universal hatred of ‘panties’ (which I share because I’m neither American nor your creepy uncle) there is a whole range of views on ‘knickers’ from ‘always’ to ‘definitely not!’

I fear I may have opened Pandora’s knicker drawer with this thread.

I see your ‘Knick knacks’ and raise you ‘Knick knack paddy whacks’ 👌🏻🤣 Yup! I shit you not…my dear old ma always called them this 🤷‍♀️

Knickers is a great word! 😍

I really hate the word knickers too. I don’t know why but it really makes me cringe. I can’t imagine my doctor saying “take your knickers off” before she goes in with a swab or whatever. I say ‘underwear’.

I’m dating an American and I have to say I now find ‘panties’ rather hot. 😅 Never thought that would happen haha. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it 😉

Pants are trousers and underwear is a generic term. Knickers is fine and the normal word to use.

@BoredZelda

Yes - the phrase 'She can knickers' - probably translates as she can sod off.

'Knickers to that' = not happening.

I say knickers or pants and always have done. I might say underwear if I was also referring to bras. I would never, however, use the word 'panties' - it sounds infantile to me!

Agree with this. Scottish grandparents here, so it’s quite possible that sentiment was passed down to my Mum, and subsequently me, if it is a thing in Scotland!

@MrsGaryKemp

Yorkshire here - used by my mum and my grandma. Grandma's parents were Irish. (Northern thing?)

They're knickers in our house, my dad used to call them NikNoks .

Knickers for women, underpants for men.

I’ve already posted but I’m NW England and pants are definitely trousers. Males wear underpants or boxers. Females wear knickers. Like other posters, with DD we call them silly names- knickerknackers, nick nack paddy whacks etc 🤣

I love the word knickers!! It’s quite a cheeky (pardon the pun) word.