Just because I was curious

[wellinghall]

[Poll #1486337]

Votes are screened; comments aren't.

Comments

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

As all five of your specifics were men-only*, I went for something else.

*Though this may be the point of the poll.

[camillofan.livejournal.com]

What she said. :-)

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

Likewise.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I think that you can buy "ladies' briefs" though google image search suggests that there is no consensus on the styling of these.

You can definitely buy ladies' boxers and trunks, though I think the latter is a sort of swimming accessory.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

You can buy "ladies' briefs", but I don't know anyone who would claim to wear them. Like hosiery.

Trunks are men's swimming shorts - usually the loose and baggy sort. Women's knickers that are cut male-style seem to be "boy shorts" in the shops, though I don't know what they are called by their wearers.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

Because they are more comfortable than thongs & bikinis? Because nothing else comes in your size? Because they're the only things that are 100% cotton?

MKK

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I meant I find the word 'unwearable', not the garments. Just as I have a drawer full of ankle-highs, hold-ups, tights, leggings etc that M&S would call hosiery, but which I wouldn't because to me that's a catalogue/marketing word, briefs, as I noted below, is a word that shops use instead of pants or knickers, which are what one wears.

[tree_and_leaf]

Agreed. I suspect what I wear are described as briefs, but they're knickers. Or pants.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

In that case, the whole poll is broken, as I suspect most men just wear 'pants' too. Most British men anyway.

Myself, I am amused by the range of terminology used for underwear, and strive to make use of it.

[(Anonymous)]

True but I said 'likewise' because my preferred garments don't come under those headings even in girlie format.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briefs

Surely 'y-fronts' and 'jockey shorts' are both a subset of 'briefs'.

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

Have done quite a lot of male-pants shopping but not for my actual self, it seems that, while you are right really, 'briefs' is often used for a certain style that is neither a short nor a trunk nor a Y-front, rather in the style of a pair of Speedos, but in a different fabric obviously.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

So what's the difference between 'y-fronts' and 'jockey shorts'?

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

Well y-fronts are more of a pants shape, but trunks and shorts have a longer leg and are more of a shorts shape. Well I think that is right, terminology does seem to vary between manufacturers up to a point. Wasn't 'jockey' a brand name to start with?

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

Obviously y-fronts have an upsidedown y on the front...

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

But I think 'Jockey Shorts' ARE 'Y-Fronts', specifically ones made by a company called 'Jockey'.

See this old advert:
http://oldmagazineads.blogspot.com/2008/03/1959-coopers-jockey-shorts-ad-print.html

[miss-next.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming that the sort of knickers worn by a majority of women would be classed as "briefs". However, a lot of women - and some men - do also wear thongs, which you've missed out. I personally would not touch these with the proverbial barge pole, but I bet you know people who would!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I think of women's "briefs" as a purely marketing word. I might wear them, but I'd not say that I was because mentally I'm not.

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

Were you listening to last Friday's News Quiz perchance?

[(Anonymous)]

Oddly, I appear to have completed this without noticing while I was out at the Management Company meeting.

I wonder if I told the truth.

[muuranker.livejournal.com]

I am a Nonny Mouse!

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

So was I at one point :)