tighty-whities

[tahy-tee-hwahy-teez, wahy-teez]

plural noun

Slang.

1. men’s white, close-fitting underpants or briefs.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tighty-whities¹

First recorded in 1990–95; tight ( def. ) + -y ² ( def. ) + whit(e) ( def. ) + -y ² ( def. ) + -s ³ ( def. )

Example Sentences

When multi-hyphenate Debbie Allen, herself an honoree, worked in a reference to the “tighty-whities” Cruise wore sliding across the floor in “Risky Business” into her own acceptance speech, you could understand why he received the night’s longest ovation.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Initial video posted last week by TMZ showed the performer wearing only tighty-whities and white cowboy boots, strolling and posing on an L.A. street just before sunrise — and just before his arrest on suspicion of charging at a police officer.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He was probably sitting in his tighty-whities as he made a fool of himself, live on the air, over his latest polling numbers.

Read more on Salon

“Trump chased her around his hotel room in his ‘tighty-whities,’ ” wrote Evans.

Read more on Slate

It’s a blizzard of surprise reveals, doors ripping off their hinges, wrecking balls turned disco balls, industrial machinery and household conveniences, bloody brides and workers in tighty-whities.

Read more on Washington Post