unmentionables

unmentionables
   1. obsolete
   trousers or undergarments 19th-century prudery forbade the mention of anything to do with legs:
    She had vowed never to change her unmentionables until her husband, Archduke Albert, took the city of Ostend by siege. (Jennings, 1965 — as it held out for three years, she must have kept her vow at the expense of her friends and her marriage)
   Also as unexpressibles, unspeakables, unwhisperables, ineffables, indescribables, and inexpressibles:
    They wear all manner of pantaloons and inexpressibles. (H.James, 1816)
   2. haemorrhoids
   A female evasion. Men seem to suffer from Farmer Giles.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Unmentionables — Un*men tion*a*bles, n. pl. The breeches; trousers. [Jocose] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • unmentionables — [un men′shən əbəlz] pl.n. things regarded as improper to be mentioned or talked about; specif., in jocular use, undergarments * * * …   Universalium

  • unmentionables — [un men′shən əbəlz] pl.n. things regarded as improper to be mentioned or talked about; specif., in jocular use, undergarments …   English World dictionary

  • unmentionables — Inexpressibles In ex*press i*bles, n. pl. Breeches; trousers;; underwear generally, especially women s; now usually referred to as {unmentionables}. [Colloq. or Slang] Ld. Lytton. [1913 Webster +PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • unmentionables — n Women s underwear. When Gladys bends over you can see her unmentionables. 1940s …   Historical dictionary of American slang

  • unmentionables — noun undergarments, underwear, drawers …   Wiktionary

  • unmentionables — un|men|tion|a|bles [ʌnˈmenʃənəbəlz] n [plural] old fashioned underwear used humorously …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • unmentionables — un|men|tion|a|bles [ ʌn menʃənəblz ] noun plural OLD FASHIONED 1. ) HUMOROUS underwear 2. ) used for referring to parts of the body such as the sex organs …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • unmentionables — n pl a. underwear b. the genitals A mock Victorian euphemism for taboo personal items. The expression was used fairly seriously in the early 1900s; since at least World War II the usage has invariably been facetious …   Contemporary slang

  • unmentionables — n. something that cannot be said, something that cannot be mentioned …   English contemporary dictionary

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