Sinister: linguistic trainspotting

[Rod Begbie]

On Mon, 9 Mar 1998, susannah wrote:

> Indeed. Pants in the U.K. are undies, and a rather lowly form at that, since
> high-class undies are either knickers for girls or boxers for boys.
> Pants really are the sort of sexless things your Mum buys you, at least thats
> what they imply when you say 'Pants!'
> As an insult, something is 'Pants!'  if you think it really is crap,  e.g.
> Ocean colour Scene are Pants!

It does have the interesting irony that describing something as "The
Pants" is a good thing, in much the same way as the bee's knees, or the
mutt's nuts.  cv. "Have you heard the new Delgados single?  It's the
pants!" 

"Big Women's Knickers!"  "That's right, Father"

Rod.

                                    Rod Begbie @ http://www.begbie.com |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| I'm a Computer Science undergraduate.  Please have sympathy.

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