noun
knickers
NIH-kuhz
noun
1
Chiefly British: women's or girls' underpants.
"She packed a fresh pair of knickers for the trip."
2
Loose-fitting trousers or breeches gathered in below the knee; knickerbockers.
"The old photograph showed him as a boy in knickers and a flat cap."
How to Use Knickers
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishIn British English, underpants; in older or American usage, a style of loose trousers.
UK vs US
In American English "knickers" usually means the old-fashioned baggy trousers, not underwear — for underwear, Americans say "panties."
Common pairings
get your knickers in a twist
a pair of knickers
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Etymology
A shortening of "knickerbockers," itself from Diedrich Knickerbocker, a fictional Dutch-American character invented by the writer Washington Irving.