Knickers

Knickers is the British word for women's underwear — the everyday term in the UK, where "panties" sounds American. It also carries a silhouette: knickers tend to mean the fuller, higher cuts — French knickers, briefs, directoire — rather than thongs or cheeky styles.

Mostly geography: knickers is British, panties is American, and both mean women's underwear. But the words don't cover identical ground — "knickers" leans fuller and higher, while the American range stretches down to thongs and cheeky cuts that nobody would call knickers.

A loose, wide-legged, flat-fronted knicker cut on the bias — at 45° to the weave — so the fabric drapes and falls away from the body rather than gripping it. Usually silk or satin, with a high rise and a high leg. The bias cut is what makes them French rather than just short.

A boyshort grips; a French knicker falls. Boyshorts are fitted jersey that follows the thigh at a low rise. French knickers are bias-cut woven fabric with a wide flared leg and a high rise, so they hang away from the body. Folded they look similar; worn they're nothing alike. See boyshorts.

Rarely, and when they do it usually means something else. In the US "knickers" more often refers to knickerbockers — baggy knee-length breeches, the kind golfers wear. Most Americans recognise the British meaning from television, but they'd say panties.

A vintage cut with a very high rise and a gently elasticated leg that sits lower on the thigh than a brief. Named for the French Directory period, they were standard for generations, fell out of fashion, and have quietly returned for the reason they existed in the first place: warmth and complete coverage.

The British everyday staple — cotton, usually a brief or midi cut, high rise, breathable and washable. Not a compromise; for most people most days they're simply the right answer. Look for a cotton gusset even on pairs that aren't cotton throughout.

Unusually so, because they barely touch you. The wide leg and bias cut mean the fabric hangs rather than grips, and there's no elastic cutting across the thigh. The trade-off is that they need room — they're wonderful under a loose dress and wrong under leggings.

Anything with drape: slip dresses, loose trousers, floaty skirts, or nothing at all — plenty of people wear them to sleep in. What they don't suit is anything tight, since the extra fabric that makes them beautiful will show as a line under close-fitting clothes.

Full briefs — high waist, full seat, complete coverage. The phrase is affectionate rather than rude in Britain, and they're the most comfortable thing in most people's drawers. No apology required.

Softer, and naturally breathable — bamboo viscose has a smoother hand than cotton and drapes better, which suits a closer cut. Cotton is more robust and cheaper to replace. If cotton feels rough to you, bamboo is worth trying; otherwise it's preference rather than an upgrade.

Not really — and this is the useful thing about the word. "Knickers" simply doesn't reach the minimal end of the range; nobody says "thong knickers". If that's what you want, it's a different tradition: see thongs and g-strings.

By hand, in cool water, with a detergent made for silk — never biological, since those digest protein and silk is a protein fibre. Don't wring; roll in a towel to blot, then dry flat away from sun and heat. Store them flat too: bias-cut fabric holds a crease.

Your usual size for briefs and cotton. French knickers run generous by design — they're meant to hang loose, so sizing up rarely helps and sizing down defeats the cut. UK and US sizing differ, so check the chart rather than assuming a straight swap.

It's a shortening of "knickerbockers" — the baggy knee-length breeches, themselves named after a Dutch-American surname popularised by Washington Irving. Women's knee-length undergarments borrowed the name in the 1880s, and in Britain it stuck and shrank. In America the trousers kept it. One word, two countries, two garments.