the.com/briefs
The understatement of underwear: tighter than its plot summary, bolder than its modest fabric budget.
means Short, snug-fitting underpants without legs, or alternatively a set of condensed written summaries — especially legal documents laying out the facts and arguments of a case.
from From the Latin 'brevis,' meaning short — the same root behind 'brief,' 'abbreviate,' and 'breviary.' The legal 'brief' came first, a written summary cut down to its essentials, and the underwear borrowed the name in the 20th century for the same reason: it covers only what's necessary, nothing more. Both senses are united by the idea of trimming away the excess.
- navy nod
- Tighty-whities trace back to swimwear designs from the 1930s
- legal twin
- A legal brief is rarely brief, ironically
- debut city
- First sold in Chicago, January 1935, sold out fast
- name origin
- Called Jockey for athletic, supportive 'jock' appeal
- cold weather
- Snowstorm launch day; thousands bought them anyway
tighty whities — classic men's underwear style with leg openings, produced by fruit of the loom and other manufacturers since the 1930s
brief case — leather document bag popularized in the 1900s, standard business accessory for lawyers and executives
supreme court briefs — written legal arguments submitted by attorneys in supreme court cases, typically 50 pages maximum