# What items of clothing have changed their names over the years? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 6, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-items-of-clothing-have-changed-their-names-over-the-years/655011 "2013-04-06T13:33:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-items-of-clothing-have-changed-their-names-over-the-years/655011/61 "2013-04-12T19:55:49Z")
When I was a kid, I wore a **tank top**. Nowadays, people wear **wife beaters**. What is this world coming to? ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-items-of-clothing-have-changed-their-names-over-the-years/655011/62 "2013-04-12T20:04:57Z")
> [@Satellite\_Guy](#): > > When I was a kid, I wore a **tank top**. Nowadays, people wear **wife beaters**. What is this world coming to? I think that both terms are still used - they refer to different things. A [tank top](http://images.google.com/search?hl=en&site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1680&bih=854&q=tank+top&oq=tank+top&gs_l=img.3..0l10.312.1040.0.1425.8.8.0.0.0.0.113.476.2j3.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.9.img.592zMrUFPM8) can be any sleeveless top, but a [wifebeater](http://images.google.com/search?hl=en&site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1680&bih=854&q=tank+top&oq=tank+top&gs_l=img.3..0l10.312.1040.0.1425.8.8.0.0.0.0.113.476.2j3.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.9.img.592zMrUFPM8#hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=wifebeater&oq=wifebeater&gs_l=img.3..0j0i10l3j0l4j0i10l2.29563.32572.0.32737.10.10.0.0.0.0.460.1868.2j1j1j0j3.7.0...0.0...1c.1.9.img.rE4Zg-jLEgY&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45175338,d.cGE&fp=211f2f09e9b3366&biw=1680&bih=854) is the underwear-style tank top that is white, or possibly grey (or white but so stained it looks brown or grey 🙂 ). ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-items-of-clothing-have-changed-their-names-over-the-years/655011/63 "2013-04-12T22:25:51Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Dungarees are what we call those Oshkosh B’gosh-type bib overalls, regardless of fabric used (I’ve had them in dungaree, denim, broadcloth & corduroy). The only time I saw the term used was in an old, old, film where high school kids circa 1955 were lounging around in blue jeans (with cuffed bottoms) while the narrator exclaimed that dungarees were the sure mark of a juvenile delinquent. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-items-of-clothing-have-changed-their-names-over-the-years/655011/64 "2013-04-12T22:38:20Z")
> [@Satellite\_Guy](#): > > When I was a kid, I wore a **tank top**. Nowadays, people wear **wife beaters**. What is this world coming to? When I was a kid, they were Dago Tees. Swear to Og. I had no idea what “Dago” meant! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-items-of-clothing-have-changed-their-names-over-the-years/655011/65 "2013-04-12T23:04:12Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > When I was a kid, they were Dago Tees. Swear to Og. I had no idea what “Dago” meant! :eek: Well, they were/are popular among Italian-Americans. And in case anyone doesn’t know, ‘[Dago](http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/dago)’ is an offensive slur for Italian. For the same reason, the racist members of my family called them [Guinea](http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/guinea) Tees. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-items-of-clothing-have-changed-their-names-over-the-years/655011.md?page=3)