# What's a "teddy" in clothing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 22, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156 "2009-12-22T03:34:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![katie9264](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df788c/32.png) [@katie9264](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie9264)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/1 "2009-12-22T03:34:58Z")
I’ve heard several references to a piece of clothing called a “teddy” (sp?) on the Golden Girls. What is it? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/2 "2009-12-22T03:37:10Z")
Lingerie. I don’t know if it’s any particular type or just a general term for a (naughty?) nightgown. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/3 "2009-12-22T03:42:46Z")
Lingerie, yes; teddies seem to have fallen out of fashion, but if you can picture a body suit with spaghetti straps, made out of nylon/some silky fabric, that’s pretty much it. It was like a camisole top built into panties. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/4 "2009-12-22T03:44:27Z")
A teddy is a one-piece garment for women. Think of something that generally looks like a one-piece bathing suit, except it’s made of satin with lace trim or something equally as girly. Some tie in front, some have daintly little buttons, so you can step into them, while others have snap crotches so you can pull them over your head. Or you could just Google “teddy lingerie” and find approximately 388,000 images. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/5 "2009-12-22T03:44:28Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Lingerie. I don’t know if it’s any particular type or just a general term for a (naughty?) nightgown. I’ve always known it as a one-piece. [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) [says](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/teddy): > [@](#): > > ted⋅dy  [ted-ee] Show IPA > –noun, plural -dies. > > 1. Often, teddies. a woman’s one-piece undergarment combining a chemise and underpants, sometimes having a snap crotch. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/6 "2009-12-22T04:00:21Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Or you could just Google “teddy lingerie” and find approximately 388,000 images. Here’s a [safe for work one](http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl0/0/3987/03_2008/V269027.jpg) (unless your boss doesn’t like you looking at pictures of lingerie). ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/7 "2009-12-22T04:05:58Z")
[These](http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/onlineProductDisplay.vs?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=EG-228904&cgname=OSKEYBRPZZZ&rfnbr=5252) [are](http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/onlineProductDisplay.vs?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=EG-246168&cgname=OSKEYSLPZZZ&rfnbr=5252) [teddies](http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/onlineProductDisplay.vs?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=EG-246167&cgname=OSKEYSLPZZZ&rfnbr=5253), [supposedly](http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/onlineProductDisplay.vs?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=EG-202852&cgname=OSKEYSLPZZZ&rfnbr=5252). The links go to the Victoria’s Secret website, so if that’s NSFW, then I guess these links are not safe for work. Also, I say “supposedly” because we obviously need to do more research in this subject. Perhaps Mr. Adams would care to lead the way? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/8 "2009-12-22T04:15:23Z")
And does anyone know why they’re called teddies? (My guess is that they’re not named for Teddy Roosevelt.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/9 "2009-12-22T04:23:33Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > The links go to the Victoria’s Secret website, so if that’s NSFW, then I guess these links are not safe for work. [Moderating] I think actual images of women wearing sexy lingerie probably are NSFW in many workplaces, so I put the links in a spoiler box to bring them in accord with the “two click” rule. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/10 "2009-12-22T04:27:07Z")
An historical view of teddies —\> http:/ /www.feelingusa.com/Teddies.html (Link broken. Last image may be NSFW. Then again, the first images may be unsuitable for puritans.) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/11 "2009-12-22T04:29:34Z")
> [@katie9264](#): > > I’ve heard several references to a piece of clothing called a “teddy” (sp?) on the Golden Girls. > > What is it? Is that the one where Dorothy’s brother (the transvestite) was buried in a teddy? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/12 "2009-12-22T04:33:43Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > An historical view of teddies —\> http:/ /www.feelingusa.com/Teddies.html > > (Link broken. Last image may be NSFW. Then again, the first images may be unsuitable for puritans.) Ah, the first one! Mine eyes! You can see her bare circuits! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/13 "2009-12-22T04:41:08Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And does anyone know why they’re called teddies? > > (My guess is that they’re not named for Teddy Roosevelt.) [Etymonline](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=teddy&searchmode=none) says it’s of unknown origin: > [@](#): > > Teddy > pet form of masc. proper names Edward, Edmund, and Theodore; meaning “women’s undergarment” (with lower-case t-) is recorded from 1924, of unknown origin, perhaps from some fancied resemblance to a teddy bear (q.v.), a theory that dates to 1929. In British slang phrase teddy boy (1954) it is short for Edward, from the preference of such youths for Edwardian styles (1901-10). Teddies (probably from Teddy Roosevelt) was one of the names given to U.S. troops in France in 1917. ---
**Author:** ![katie9264](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df788c/32.png) [@katie9264](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie9264)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/14 "2009-12-22T04:44:57Z")
Thanks all. I’ve never been disappointed by this site! ---
**Author:** ![katie9264](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df788c/32.png) [@katie9264](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie9264)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/15 "2009-12-22T05:01:03Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Is that the one where Dorothy’s brother (the transvestite) was buried in a teddy? Yes, that’s right! It was on last night and I’ve been wondering ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/16 "2009-12-22T05:16:59Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Moderating] > > I think actual images of women wearing sexy lingerie probably are NSFW in many workplaces, so I put the links in a spoiler box to bring them in accord with the “two click” rule. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator That’s awesome! I never even thought to do that. Many thanks good sir. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/17 "2009-12-22T06:30:43Z")
One of the things my father gave my mother on their Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary over twenty years ago was a black teddy. I have a priceless photo of the two of them when she opened the box. (I confess to doing some of his shopping.) ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/18 "2009-12-22T10:49:54Z")
A teddy is the sexiest piece of lingerie ever. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/19 "2009-12-22T12:57:05Z")
> [@](#): > > And does anyone know why they’re called teddies? > > (My guess is that they’re not named for Teddy Roosevelt.) Ahh, but they were. You se, Roosevelt was on a well-publicized hunting trip, out for lingerie, and his aides had trapped a one-piece up in a tree, where the president could easily shoot it. But the president very publicly refused, saying it was unsporting. Ever since, that kind of lingerie has been called a “teddy” in his honor. The little-known piece of history is that, after the reporters left, Roosevelt told the gamekeeper to shoot it himself. Fortunately for history, the gamekeeper didn’t, but kept it to wear himself, so that the teddy was able to reproduce and breed. All teddies on the internet today are descendents of that original treed teddy. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156/20 "2009-12-22T13:05:01Z")
Louis B: > [@](#): > > A teddy is the sexiest piece of lingerie ever. Not on one of the Golden Girls, it’s not. (although overall, I do agree) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-teddy-in-clothing/522156.md?page=2)