BBC Learning English
The English We Speak
27 March 2012
Knickers in a twist
Will: Hello, I'm William and here I am in Vera's garden to present the
programme today&
Vera: Hi Will! Yes, I'm Vera, and well, before the programme I've got to hang up
my washing!
Will: No problem, actually Vera that's quite handy to have you doing that as we
have an expression to teach today that many people might find quite
amusing. To get your knickers in a twist!
Vera: No, Will, my knickers are not twisted. I've got my knickers nicely hung here
from this washing line, as are my blouses, my tablecloth, my jeans& What
are you saying about my washing hanging technique? Do you think I'm not
doing my washing right?
Will: No, I didn't mean that. I even like these pink pyjamas with yellow polka
dots that I can see hanging further down the line. Vera, people can
probably see them from the moon! They are a bit too bright for my taste,
I've got to say.
Vera: You see, now you are poking fun at my taste in fashion! My mother's taste,
actually! She gave me these pyjamas for Christmas. I hate them but & I
didn't want to disappoint my mother and she keeps asking me if I wear
them often.
Will:
Alright! Okay. Well, don't get your knickers in a twist!
Vera:
Here you go again! Stop criticising my knickers! How about your own
knickers? Maybe they are twisted!
Will: Well, okay, I must confess that sometimes & well, lots of times perhaps, I
do get my knickers in a twist. And it's not when I am hanging up my
washing. Knickers is a British word that refers to ladies' underwear 
they're what Americans call panties. But 'to get your knickers in a twist'
has got nothing to do with it: it can be used for either a man or a woman.
Vera: Oh, it has nothing to do with underwear?
Will: Exactly. That's right. It's an expression in English that you use when you
want to say that someone is getting upset about things that are not
important, trivial matters. Let's listen to some examples:
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Examples
(Phone ringing)
Female 1: Your phone's been ringing all morning and you haven't bothered to pick it up.
Female 2: Alright! Alright! I will do it now. Don't get your knickers in a twist!
Male: My teenage son is very sensitive. Whenever I tell him to tidy up his room he gets
his knickers in a twist and slams the door!
Vera:
Ah, so it has nothing to do with knickers!
Will: That's right. And, by the way, the ones that you have hanging from your
washing line aren't twisted either. You're doing a really great job, Vera.
Vera: Thank you, Will. But& I've been doing it for some 20 minutes but now I
have to take them down! It's going to rain quite heavily and I won't have
dry clothes to wear tomorrow& This is so annoying! Why does it have to
rain so often? It is not fair! Just when I've managed to make some time to
wash all these clothes. And even the pink and polka dot pyjamas I hate so
much. Why can't my mother just give me socks or something else? She
has never allowed me to wear what I like. When I was a teenager I wanted
to wear miniskirts and she told me off.
Will: Here we go again! Knickers in a twist! Goodbye.
Vera: Goodbye. But why do we always have to finish the programme so soon.
People like to learn English. We should have longer programmes so that we
can talk about some more expressions. It's not fair with learners that come
to the website to improve their language skills&
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