jockey shorts

English

A male wearing a pair of briefs

Etymology

Former trade name, from jockstrap, since they were regarded as offering a similar level of physical support.

Noun

jockey shorts pl (plural only)

1. (US, dated, informal) Men's or boys' briefs.
   • 1980, William Hogan, The Quartzsite Trip, page 209:

     He had left his swimming suit at home, but going around in his jockey shorts seemed a good substitute.

   • 2000, Charles Edward Gibb, Murder on the Cocktail Circuit, page 194:

     Back in his stateroom, sitting in his black jockey shorts, Scotty once again felt the exhaustion creep back into his body.

   • 2011, Howard S. Rowland, Robinson Crusoe in Suburbia, page 64:

     In my jockey shorts I quickly tiptoed on bare feet down the still corridor to embrace my beaming rosy-cheeked bedfellow before the elevator arrived.

   • 2018, C. Dale Young, The Affliction, page 14:

     We sat in our jockey shorts and t-shirts drinking whiskey.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:underwear

Derived terms

• jockeys
• jockey briefs
• jocks

See also

• undershorts
• Y-fronts
• Speedo
• BVDs
• boxer shorts