Talk:shreddies

Where is underwear known as "shreddies"? Is it a Americanism/Australianism/Canadianism? I've never heard of it in the UK. — Paul G 13:57, 31 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Definitely a UK or colonial term. First heard/used it as a kid in London c1975 (possibly by a lad with Australian parents) and have heard it used by Brummies too. Differing thoughts on Etymology along the lines of A) it refers to torn or shredded underwear, Ie very old, worn undies; or B) it is a forces term derived from the Aertex style open weave of certain designs of Govt. Issue underwear which resembled the breakfast cereal shreddies in pattern. trunkie 5 July 2005 09:33 (UTC)

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shreddies

--Connel MacKenzie 18:59, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Bum Bags and Fanny Packs: A British-American, American-British Dictionary gives it as British slang for "manky or revolting men's (boy's) pants" (bold italics in original; link-ish), which would explain why I've never heard it before. The b.g.c. hits are overwhelmingly in the sense of "shredded wheat" (often capitalized — I guess it's a brand name), but I did managed to find one actual cite:

• 2001, Irvine Welsh, Glue, W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 40,

  As ah stand up n pill oan ma shreddies, then ma jeans in T-shirt, she's staring oaf intae space, then wrappin her clathes roond her.

  —link-ish (Scottish English?)

—Ruakh_TALK 19:50, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

• 1995, Joe Simpson, This Game of Ghosts, The Mountaineers Books, →ISBN,

  As Mark came out of the bathroom, I remembered my underpants. ¶ ‘Hey Mark, have you got my shreddies?’

  —link-ish

• 2004, Harry Foxley, Marking Time: A Soldier's Story, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 165,

  So adept did I become, in fact, that I could shower, shave and wash out socks and shreddies on as little as three penn’orth remaining on the meter (which had not yet been decimalized).

  —link-ish

• 2004, Toby Bishop, Cry Havoc: A Trip to Hell for a Group of Ageing Mercenaries Who Should Have Known Better, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 43,

  Their luggage was minimal, as he would have expected—shirts, Shreddies, socks, trousers and the rest of the basics of self-maintenance.

  —link-ish (capitalization in original)

• 2006, Brian Carlin, Boy Entrant, Lulu Press, Inc., →ISBN, page 61,

  “Drawers, cellular, six”—that was six pairs of loose-legged underwear that would come down to mid-thigh made from a cellular cotton fabric. We would later learn that the RAF slang name for these garments was “shreddies” because of their tendency to become threadbare and shred at the crotch where they rubbed against the harsh worsted material of our trousers.

  —link-ish

Those are all the cites I could find on b.g.c., uses and mentions included, so it's probably fairly rare.

—Ruakh_TALK 20:23, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

RFV passed. —Ruakh_TALK 20:24, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Shreddies - date used

Recollect this term being used in Hull & North Yorkshire in 1971-2. Cannot be later as I moved. Attributed then to resemblance of Aertex stle underwear, particularly to stained crotch area!

RBB