to give someone a wedgie

4 9.6

To pull up someone's underwear quickly as a joke so it hurts and makes them embarrassed

phrasal verb

Offensive

: tirar de los calzoncillos a alguien

After joking around, I decided to give him a wedgie to lighten the mood.
go give a wedgie

Examples

I'm going to give someone a wedgie during gym class for fun.
Corky, I'm not going to give you a wedgie.

Corky Romano (2001)
Maybe you did give me a wedgie and...

I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007)
One of 'em gave me a wedgie.

The Amazing Floydini (2004)
I'm gonna give you a wedgie.

Higher Ground (2011)
Don't give 'em a wedgie.

Dragged Across Concrete (2019)
You're giving me a wedgie!

Meet Dave (2008)
Didn't give me a wedgie.

Jackass: The Movie (2002)
What, did I give you a wedgie or steal your cupcake or something?

Choke (2008)
Maybe you did give me a wedgie, and sure, my head is no stranger to the raging waters of the third floor toilets.

I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007)

Synonyms

to prank

vsto give someone a wedgie

Informal

16 2.9

To play a trick on someone to make people laugh

is a clothes-focused act that causes pain and embarrassment

to moon

vsto give someone a wedgie

Offensive

13 9.9

To show your bare bottom to someone as a joke or insult

is different, pulls clothing upward rather than showing bare skin

to play pranks

vsto give someone a wedgie

4 3.1

Do small tricks to surprise or make someone laugh

is a specific physical trick targeting clothing and causing discomfort

to debag

vsto give someone a wedgie

Offensive

9.9

To pull down someone's trousers to embarrass them

is less extreme, pulls underwear upward to embarrass and hurt

Antonyms

to comfort

172 1.0

To make someone feel less upset or in pain

How Embarrassing

to humiliate

Offensive

414 6.1

to give someone a wedgie

Offensive

4 9.6

to tease

245 1.9

Surface Forms

give someone a wedgie infinitive

gave someone a wedgie past

given someone a wedgie past participle

giving someone a wedgie present participle

gives someone a wedgie third person singular

Morphology

give + someone + a + wedgie

The meaning is directly compositional: 'give' (perform an action for someone) + 'someone' (recipient) + 'wedgie' (the prank of yanking underwear) yields the action of administering that prank. The phrase follows a normal verb + indirect object + direct object pattern and contains no hidden idiomatic shift, so a learner who knows the constituent words will infer the meaning.

Etymology

Give someone a wedgie comes from the childish prank of grabbing another person's underwear and pulling it up between their bottom, which is painful and embarrassing. So it means 'to pull someone's underwear sharply upward as a prank'.