to get your knickers in a twist
2
9.1
- idiom
- /ɡɛt jɔːr ˈnɪkəz ɪn ə twɪst/
- UK
:
ponerse nervioso
- He's always getting his knickers in a twist about things that don't matter.
Examples
-
All right, don't get your knickers in a twist.
-
Why do people get their knickers in a twist when we talk about the weather?
Blog text (25) -
Hey, don't get your knickers in a twist!
-
He's got his knickers in a twist about something.
-
I don't get what everyone is getting their knickers in a twist about.
Blog text (17) -
Don't get your knickers in a twist, but we made mistakes and ran up some losses.
-
Don't get your knickers in a twist; it's just a small mistake.
-
Why are you getting your knickers in a twist over such a minor issue?
Synonyms
143
7.5
To suddenly become very angry, excited, or surprised
49
7.2
To suddenly lose control and become very angry or upset
19
8.4
Very upset about a small or unimportant thing
4
9.9
To become too upset about a small problem
3
7.7
Feel nervous and tense in stressful situations
2
9.9
To become very upset about a small problem
1
9.8
To become upset or worried about something not important
1
7.9
To become very confused and anxious because you worry too much
1
9.6
To become very worried or upset about small things
1
9.5
Become very upset about something small
1
9.3
To suddenly feel nervous or worried
1
9.9
To suddenly become very angry
To become very upset or worried about a small problem
To become upset over a small problem
Get very upset or worried about something small
To become very upset about something small
Get very upset and confused quickly
To become confused and upset over small things
To feel very irritated or upset about something small
To become suddenly very angry and upset in a dramatic way
To suddenly become very angry and lose control of yourself
Antonyms
How Upset
- Informal
430
6.8
- Informal
19
8.4
- UK
2
9.1
362
1.0
77
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
get + your + knickers + in + a + twist
The phrase evokes a concrete image—your underwear ('knickers') being 'in a twist'—which metaphorically suggests discomfort or agitation, so a learner who knows the constituent words could partly infer the sense of becoming upset. However, the expression is colloquial and the specific idiomatic mapping from twisted underwear to emotional upset is indirect and culture-specific, so the meaning is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Get your knickers in a twist comes from the image of someone's knickers meaning underwear becoming twisted and tight, which is uncomfortable and makes you fidget. So the phrase came to mean 'to become upset or overly worried' about something small.