Yup. Undergarment seams don’t sit well with the natural seam that connects the two halves of the scrotum. fidgets
Yeah…when we had a conversation about it, I think my sis in law had a hard time articulating exactly what it was that bothered her. She would bring up the infantilization she perceives with the word, but it just wasn’t convincing.
I don’t find it offensive but I don’t use it either. It just sounds silly to me.
And let’s clarify something - the official sayings go as follows:
Panties in a wad.
Boxers in a bunch.
Undies in a twist.
So sayeth Surly.
How about ‘I want to get into your panties’? My guess is that one or one like it is where the ‘offense’ comes from.
Personally, I don’t find the word offensive, just kind of old fashioned and stuff, while being strangely compelling at the same time…
-XT
Perhaps the original concern is because the word itself is in “diminutive” form, and so perhaps childish, or since it is (generally) gender-specific, girlish, and strikes at a woman’s identity as a woman?
I have not heard the boxers in a bunch line before. I like it! I have been thinking about going with “knickers in a twist” as it is less gender specific and would be perceived as a joke more often.
I went out with an American girl, and when she talked about her panties it was really hot (our “knickers” is pretty unalluring), but when she talked about her pantyhose it made me want to hurl.
What about “manties?” Is manty offensive?
I agree that its diminutive - but do you really find that it strikes at your identity as a woman (assuming you are one, based on your username)? It certainly does not strike at my identity as a woman.
I always think of panties as little girls’ underwear. The little y at the end just sounds like a diminuitive suffix that you would put on something to indicate that it’s small and cute.
From Anatomy of a Murder, a courtroom classic:
[Judge Weaver has stopped the testimony by Detective Sergeant James Durgo, State Police, and called the lawyers to his bench]
Judge Weaver: Mr. Biegler, you finally got your rape into the case, and I think all the details should now be made clear to the jury. What exactly was the undergarment just referred to?
Paul Biegler: Panties, Your Honor.
Judge Weaver: Do you expect this subject to come up again?
Paul Biegler: Yes, Sir.
Judge Weaver: There’s a certain light connotation attached to the word “panties.” Can we find another name for them?
Mitch Lodwick: I never heard my wife call 'em anything else.
Judge Weaver: Mr. Biegler?
Paul Biegler: I’m a bachelor, Your Honor.
Judge Weaver: That’s a great help. Mr. Dancer?
Claude Dancer: When I was overseas during the war, Your Honor, I learned a French word. I’m afraid that might be slightly suggestive.
Judge Weaver: Most French words are.
I am not Alice, and I am not a woman either. (I think you can look at one of myg earliest posts to find out why I am not_alice).
I was just speculating. I don’t think every woman is going to be of the same mind on that of course, but I bet some might be.
Why would you assume someone named not_alice is a woman? Seems like the odds would be pretty close to 50/50 except very slightly in favor of being a man. Could be anyone! Any man and any woman except Alice. The one thing we know is it’s not Alice.
In Chinese, women’s undergarments and men’s briefs use the same term: san jiao ku, which means simply “triangle pants”.
I’m a guy, and I cannot bring myself to use the word “panties” when speaking with my preschool daughter. I say san jiao ku instead.
Which would be odd if that were the only Chinese word I knew. But I speak with my daughter in Chinese over half the time anyway, so whatever.
I don’t find it offensive.
Now, “hoodie”. That diminutive -y sound there? That offensive. Seriously! An offense to hood-wearers everywhere!
Um, yeah. Sorry, but I can’t even comprehend finding it offensive - unless you are referring to something that is not a panty as being one in an attempt to insult. But if it’s actually a panty? What’s the big deal?
And I prefer “knickers in a twist”.
I’ve known of people who don’t like the word, finding it silly or childish. But offensive? That’s just dumb.
Myself, it doesn’t bother me. For male undergarments I usually use ‘skivvies.’ I use ‘panties’ or ‘undies’ or ‘skivvies’ interchangably for female undergarments, depending upon my mood. If I was asking for them in a store, I’d probably use ‘underwear.’
When my son was in high school, he was on the wrestling team and I always referred to his singlets as his ‘wrestling panties.’ But this was just to mess with him. And, I usually call any type of cellphone or iPod cover ‘panties’ – as in, ‘do you want some panties for your Blackberry?’ And this is only to mess with my daughter & husband, who both like covers on their cellphones and iPods. I prefer to let my own phone go nekkid.
I prefer “knickers in a knot.” It has that lovely alliteration going for it.
Oh, and I find nothing offensive about “panties.” I hate “underpants,” though. It sounds so…clinical.
I don’t find it offensive, I find it hot!
Sure, I can see how that would be offensive, but so would be “I want to get into your undergarments”. The offensiveness there has nothing to do with the word “panties” itself.
And since the OP mentioned “moist”, also, I should say that my first mental association with “moist” is “chocolate cake”, and chocolate cake is never offensive.
I don’t get the hatred for either panties or moist. And you’d think women would like it, too. Moisturizing, moist nether regions for sex, and moist brownies! I’m female and I like it. Mostly because of the brownies. Mmmm, brownies.