tighties
English
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]Noun
[edit]tighties pl (plural only)
- (slang) Form-fitting cycling shorts.
- 2008, Bicycling Vol. 49 No. 1 ”The Long and Short of It”, page 96:
- I've worn these in town and on long trail rides, and I'm awed by how such simple pants work so well in the saddle. I wouldn't choose the Shins for a multiday stage race but somehow, even among the megaexpensive Euro tighties I own, these understated, made-in-San Francisco knickers have become a favorite.
- 2019, Stacey Makiya, Brie Thalmann, HonoluluMagazine.com, “New Year, New Gear: Where to Shop in Honolulu Right Now”:
- Cycle the workout tighties into your daily attire by balancing them with longer blazers or, another new trend, updated safari jackets.
Etymology 2
[edit]Clipping of tighty whities.
Noun
[edit]tighties pl (plural only)
- (US, slang) Men's or boys' briefs.
- 2005, Mike Philbin, CHIMERAWORLD #1, page 113:
- A padded knee shattered my balls. I doubled over in the hallway, coughing up blood and yellow stuff I thought might be bile. Though wracked with pain, I was glad I wore briefs. My tighties kept those precious little orbs in place.
- 2014, Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn’t Fly, page ?:
- “You wearing tighties or boxers, big boy?” Liv says to Marcus.
- 2015, Lisa Genova, Inside the O'Briens, page 220:
- A pack of teenage boys gathers at the bottom of the stairway, wearing their tough gangsta pusses and pants hanging below their tighties. Joe will never comprehend what's so tough about underwear.
Usage notes
[edit]Tighties are said to come in pairs, which is to say that the phrase "pair(s) of" is used as a counter for them.