chones n.pl. underwear, especially undershorts or panties. Also chonies, choners. Editorial Note: Despite its proximity to a mention of lingerie, chonies in the 1928 citation is probably a typographical error for chorines. Etymological Note: (Mexican) Spanish slang chones, perhaps from the Mexican Spanish calzones ‘underwear’ or less probably from the English long johns. The Oxford English Dictionary includes a 1717 first citation for poncho from Frezier’s Voyage to the South Sea in which Chony appears; however, it may be unrelated: “The Spaniards have taken up the Use of the Chony, or Poncho…to ride in, because the Poncho keeps out the Rain.” (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A woman whose husband speaks Guaraní, Spanish, German, English, Italian, plus a bit of liturgical Hebrew, notices a curious thing happening while he was taking notes during lessons with a rabbi. As he jotted notes in Spanish and Guaraní, he used his...
The Hawaiian word aloha is both a greeting and a goodbye, as well as a profound acknowledgement of the oneness with all living things. Plus, what’s a lemur ball? A new book will leave you marveling over the mysteries of lemurs, wombats, and other...