Don't get your knickers in a twist!
Don't get upset!
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
FIFA's KNICKERS IN A TWIST over undershirts
(The Guardian)
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"The truth is that this is much ado about nothing and there is no need for anybody to GET THEIR KNICKERS IN A TWIST."
(Paul McCartney regarding controversy over Beatle's song-writing credits)
(The Guardian)
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"The truth is that this is much ado about nothing and there is no need for anybody to GET THEIR KNICKERS IN A TWIST."
(Paul McCartney regarding controversy over Beatle's song-writing credits)
Did you
know?
get one's knickers in a twist
idiom
- to become confused, worried or annoyed about something
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
Knickers is British English for a piece of underwear worn by women and girls covering the area between the waist and the top of the legs. In U.S. English, they are called panties. To confuse matters though, in U.S. English the word "knickers" is short for knickerbockers, which are short loose trousers that fit tightly below the knee, worn especially in the past or for ceremonies.
How these pants came to be called knickerbockers is an interesting story. In 1809 Washington Irving, who is famous for the short stories Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, published a book called History of New York. The book was published under the pen name Diedrich Knickerbocker. Pictures of the supposed author showed him wearing loose breeches, which then took his name.
In addition to "getting one's knickers in a twist," one can also:
- get one's knickers in a knot
- get one's panties in a bunch
- get one's shorts in a knot
- get one's undies in a bundle
(sources: Oxford English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary)
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"We're only one minute late, don't get your knickers in a twist!"
idiom
- to become confused, worried or annoyed about something
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
WORD ORIGIN
Knickers is British English for a piece of underwear worn by women and girls covering the area between the waist and the top of the legs. In U.S. English, they are called panties. To confuse matters though, in U.S. English the word "knickers" is short for knickerbockers, which are short loose trousers that fit tightly below the knee, worn especially in the past or for ceremonies.
How these pants came to be called knickerbockers is an interesting story. In 1809 Washington Irving, who is famous for the short stories Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, published a book called History of New York. The book was published under the pen name Diedrich Knickerbocker. Pictures of the supposed author showed him wearing loose breeches, which then took his name.
In addition to "getting one's knickers in a twist," one can also:
- get one's knickers in a knot
- get one's panties in a bunch
- get one's shorts in a knot
- get one's undies in a bundle
(sources: Oxford English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary)
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"We're only one minute late, don't get your knickers in a twist!"
