things regarded as improper to be mentioned or talked about; specif., in jocular use, undergarments
unmentionables
un·men·tion·ablesWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"unmentionables." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/unmentionables>.
APA Style
unmentionables. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/unmentionables
Usage notes
Because of a euphemism's intentional ambiguity, the perceived meaning can drift. While at first, "unmentionables" referred with Victorian hyper-sensitivity to trousers, the functional meaning drifted expediently to underwear. Currently, examples can be found where it is clear the writer or speaker means to refer expressly to the genitals.
Origin
Victorian Era euphemism, specifically the category of euphemism known as indirection (compare privates, behind, sleep together). First intended meaning was "trousers", attested from 1823. Meaning "underwear" is recorded from 1910.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"unmentionables." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/unmentionables>.
APA Style
unmentionables. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/unmentionables
