Evelyn in Wilmington, North Carolina, says that when she and her older sister were sassy to their parents, her mother would say either You’re getting too big for your britches or I’m going to bring you down a buttonhole lower. The former makes...
Brand names, children’s games, and the etiquette of phone conversations. Those clever plastic PEZ dispensers come in all shapes and sizes—but where did the word PEZ come from? The popular candy’s name is the product of wordplay involving the German...
If someone’s called a pantywaist, they’re being disparaged as weak or timid. The term refers to a baby garment popular in the early 20th century that snapped at the waist. Some people misunderstand the term as pantywaste, but that’s what linguists...
If someone’s impatiently pounding on your front door, you might respond Keep your pants on! The origin of this phrase is unclear, though it may be related to keep your shirt on, and other expressions that refer to partially disrobing before a...
go see n.— «The modelling industry has auditions and job interviews where the models met the designers and try on their garments. But these meetings are not called interviews or auditions, they are called “go see’s.“» —“Dom on Episode 11″ by...
poopy suit n.— «The pilots were required to wear anti-exposure suits because they were crossing the icy Atlantic in January. The airtight, form-fitting, waterproof over-garments’, are affectionately called “poopy suits,” are a necessary evil that...