Ripped your knickers

Posted by ESC on July 24, 2005

In Reply to: Ripped your knickers Posted by Meghan Kirkland on July 22, 2005

: I wondering about this phrase my mother uses a lot, which she heard from her mother. I use it, too, but people look at me strange. My mother grew up in
: Logan, West Virginia, and her mom was raised all over southern West Virginia in coal camps. The phrase is "ripped your knickers"...If someone has made you made so mad, you'll never help them out again...you say, "She's ripped her knickers with me." I figure it's British at least in part, because of knickers. I can't find anyone else who really uses it, but I suspect that people age 80 and up use it. My mother uses it out of habit, but most of her brothers and sisters don't. It's not really part of their generational culture. Well, that's all.

I'm from southern West Virginia -- Raleigh County -- and never heard that one. It does sound British. That makes sense because a lot of our phrases were "brought over." Like "tight as Dick's hatband." I looked for "ripped your knickers" in my reference books and couldn't find it. I did find one my grandmother used: "rip and tear" for get ready for bed.