Knickers/stroppy knickers

Question

Hello,I'm a Spanish girl that is in England and I have problems with the two following phrases that recently I have listened and answered:(a flatmate (girl) to all of those who were about to go out) 'You got your knickers on? (I said that I don't wear knickers and the girl started laughing of me)(the same flatmate to me) 'don't be such a stroppy knickers'I have problems to understand these expressions,Help!Marta  (missing image)

Nona the brit · Accepted Answer

Knickers - ladies underwear, pants, briefs - go under your skirt/trouser. I don't know what you call them, but I'm sure you wear them!

Marta21 · Answer

Thank you.  We call them 'bragas' <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

CalifJim · Answer

Go on. Go on. Where does the "stroppy" come into it? "dirty"? You Brits have the most incomprehensible words sometimes!

CJ

Nona the brit · Answer

Oh sorry, forgot that bit. No, your imagination is running away with you there CJ!

Stroppy - being angry and rude in an annoying way, having a grumpy attittude. Commonly used in conjunction with 'teenagers', if that helps explain the sort of thing it refers to.

Pairing up an adjective like this with 'knickers' is not something that happens every day but it is something I've heard quite a bit. It's a way of criticising or teasing someone but in rather a silly way that takes most of the sting out of it. It does seem to naturally pair up with 'stroppy', I don't know why.

Another variation is 'clever knickers', which implies that the person is being annoying 'knows best' or showing you up in some way.

Oh - and you can say them to men, even though they don't wear knickers!

Knickers/stroppy knickers

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