get one's knickers in a twist

English

WOTD – 6 March 2022

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɡɛt wʌnz ˈnɪ.kəz ɪn‿ə ˈtwɪst/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɡɪt wʌnz ˈnɪ.kɚz ɪn‿ə ˈtwɪst/
• Rhymes: -ɪst
• Hyphenation: get one's knick‧ers in a twist

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

get one's knickers in a twist (third-person singular simple present gets one's knickers in a twist, present participle getting one's knickers in a twist, simple past and past participle got one's knickers in a twist)

1. (idiomatic, British, Ireland, humorous, informal) To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter.

   Synonyms: get one's knickers in a knot, get one's panties in a bunch, get one's panties in a wad, get one's panties in a pretzel, get one's shorts in a knot, get one's undies in a bundle

Usage notes

This is one of the most variable of all expressions, as the familiar rhythm carries the meaning regardless of the individual words used.

Undergarments ranging from gussets to diapers will work, though the most commonly used are women's undergarments, especially knickers and its synonyms, even when the addressee is a man. Given the right context, even this rule is not steadfast; a children's book and a line from a children's TV show both used the phrase don't get your tutu in a twist.

Likewise the word at the end can be anything similar in meaning to bundle; twist; knot; wad.

Translations

to become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter

• Finnish: vetää herne nenään
• French: avoir ses bobettes dans un tapon, slaquer ses bobettes (Quebec)
• German: an die Decke gehen (de), auf 180 sein, einen (dicken) Hals kriegen
• Italian: indispettire (it), innervosire, irritare (it), scombussolare (it), scontentare (it), turbare (it)
• Polish: denerwować się impf, zdenerwować się pf
• Spanish: hacerse la picha un lío, hacer una montaña de un grano de arena

See also

• get one's tits in a wringer
• nose out of joint

References

• “to get one’s knickers in a twist, phrase” under “twist, n.¹”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2021.
• “get one's knickers in a twist, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.