"Panties"

Dear Moody,

It is definitely one word. In the UK, we would usually refer to male underwear as pants, boxers and occasionally knickers. Female it is commonly knickers or panties usual, though pants is also used. However, there are no hard or fast rules on this. My favourite is panties, though I use knickers as well in writing to mix it up a little. For me personally, I live either sexy hugging and well cut panties to wear, or French knickers - or easy feelers as I have sometime called them. Really good when going to the cinema so my husband can get access easily and tease me the for the whole show if I am lucky!

Hi Moody,
Is "Schlüpfer" not definitely feminine only, i.e. panties?

Like you Jo, I too prefer the word panties, and now that I am assured there is nothing wrong with using the word I will continue using it in stories.

I find knickers okay too, although I tend to picture old fashioned school knickers whereas those lacy satin or silk items are most definitely 'panties' .

@ Smachtai

While Schlüpfer might be related to female underwear (panties), its related to grandmother style panties. I might be old enough but like the bulk of males we have the ability to not think about it. Pre age 20 I couldn't imagine what my parents would have to do to get me a brother or sister. As a second thought, we have to accept that iwe are not a result of air freight (aka the stork). Now I won't be able to sleep...

@ jogreenknickers

Isn't it a pair of panties?
Is it really that cold in England that women wear two panties to keep warm ?
Why can't English have compound words?
In German you can simply create nice long words, you don't have to use half a dozend words (Danube+steam+ship+company+captains+certificate)
In primary school year 3 we learned the rules and our teacher declared a competition for the longest word. I was proud for half a line, the girls managed at least a full line and in one case two lines. The teacher then shocked us with her word.

@ all

Around the year 2k I tried to write a fanfic where the girl removed her under shirt and slip. In German a slip means underpants, but my English language audience was irritated since slip is a type of undershirt. I scanned an advertisement for underpants where they were labelled as slips to defend my use of the word slip ^_^

Hi Smachtai,

I agree on panties but the loose fitting lacy and frilly ones, believe me, are French Knickers. I love them, all lacy or silky

Hi Moody,
It appears that for you, Schlüpfer means old fashion panties For some of us the same applies to the word knickers. It is interesting that we can have different reactions to different words for essentially the same object .

Slip seems to be commonly used for panties. I have seen it used in Italian, Dutch(slipje) as well as German. It is an example of a 'loanword' adopting a different meaning in the new language. ( e.g. 'gift' which in German means something entirely different.

As an aside, there is a difference between compound words and plurals. panties is an example the plural being used because the item it refers to always occurs in pairs. originally each leg was separate. The same structure is used for e.g. 'pair of scissors' , it makes no sense to have only one scissor. Although, more recently in US English, panty seems to be replacing panties. Compound words do exist in English but no anywhere near like in German. Football is a good example.

Jo,

Many thanks for sharing the story about your nickname. I will admit to have wondered.

In Norwegian, there are two common words for nickers/panties: "underbukser" (literally "underpants") and "truser". Originally, I think "truser" was only used for women's underwear (as a boy I would have been deadly insulted by having my underpants referred to as "truser"), but this seems to have changed.

For some reason (I honestly have no idea why) I dislike both words, and that's why all my heroines are spanked on their bare bottom!

I've started a story I cannot find the middle or ending for, in which Spanish and Chinese (simplified) are two of the four old Earth languages that survive and thrive on a moon of Jupiter. Bragas (Spanish) and neiku (lacking here the correct accents) are worn by the women until they - the neiku, not the women! - become surplus to effective consequences. Neiku, as I no doubt incorrectly pronounce it, rolls off my tongue with delight.

Hi opb, that was one of the best days of my life - such a quick spanking changed my life for ever. When Tom, my hubby, uses my 'full name' (jogreenknickers, come here!) I know I am hiding over his knee and can't wait. I wonder what would have happened if I had times that tackle better?

Hi Jo,
I agree, the loose ones are definitely French Knickers. Although my first encounter with French knickers, i.e. knickers in France, was definately a pair of frilly panties.

Around 1970 i travelled to France, on a student airfare (£10) . My then girlfriend and I stayed in a loft room in B, St. Michele for a few days. One morning , as we walked down the street we were confronted with a 'lingerie' shop with a pair of frilly panties in the window. I had never seen such a public display before and neither had my girlfriend who went a bright red as we passed by, in humiliating silence.

In Ireland, at the time, most clothes were sold in drapery stores. Our village had a couple of such stores. One, called Higgins, was a general store with a drapery section, ruled over by old Mors Higgins. Underwear , of all types would have been kept behind the counter in boxes which were only opened for female customers when they wanted to purchase underwear. It was definitely never displayed.
Of course the likes of Dunnes stores and Penneys later changed all that but at the time panties, knickers etc. were usually hidden away.

Travel does broaden the mind.

Jo, it is fascinating to imagine a different path had you not had that spanking. I know in school and college, most friends I knew dreaded the idea of corporal punishment. I think about ten years had to pass before we could see anything erotic or nice about spanking. And even then, speaking from my own experience, I began to find the idea of administering a spanking to be somewhat exciting, not recieving it. Funny the way the mind works.