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To: melinda abplanalp who wrote (31812)7/14/1999 2:50:00 AM
From: nihil  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 71178
 
"skivvies" are, of course, underwear --- "civilian clothes" a WWII term -- a skive is a thin slice of leather -- from the Norwegian. Therefore, Norwegian leather civilian clothes underwear -- worn under Eskimo reindeer furs for arctic exploration -- Nansen, Amundsen and those guys.



To: melinda abplanalp who wrote (31812)7/14/1999 10:20:00 AM
From: Ish  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 71178
 
<<Where did the term skivies come from I wonder? >>

I see nihil has posted a theory already. I can remember when BVD owned so much of the men's underwear business they almost became a generic term for it. Trap door union suits. Some of the old retired railroad workers used to ask for them even in the 70s.


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