Welcome to the Underwear Glossary.  In this section, you can learn more about underwear from our definitions.

Bikini Brief : a bikini brief is a panty that is cut to cover most of your cheeks but is very narrow on the sides, providing a high, flattering leg opening.

Boy Short / Boy Shorts : a boy short provides more coverage than other styles of briefs. However, they do leave portion of your cheeks exposed.  The bottom of the leg opening in the back falls at or under the butt cheek where your behind naturally creases.  The good news is that this helps eliminate most of the visible panty lines.  Boy shorts are a good option under pants because they fit close to the body and help avoid panty lines.  Note: Boy shorts are also on occasion referenced as Hipster.  Boy shorts are thought of by many as both comfortable and sexy…

Brazilian Brief : In Brazil they know how to show it off… A very cheeky brief style (when we say cheeky, we mean your butt cheeks are exposed), Brazilian briefs will cover very little in the rear. This is flattering, if you have a nice rear end.  If you are not happy with your assets, you may wish to try something a bit less revealing.  The Brazilian brief is somewhere in between a thong brief and a traditional brief.  The back fabric is v–shaped and lies on top of the cheeks and not between the cheeks.

Brief / Briefs : the classic briefs typically fits close to the body and provide moderate to full rear coverage.  The briefs are cut higher on the leg than a boy short (but are not as narrow as a bikini brief). You will find that briefs will be generally in a similar silhouette.  However, the shapes and measurements in which they are cut are going to depend on the manufacturer.  Not all briefs are created equal.  It is important to find a brand and size that fits well for you body type and size.  Although briefs are typically considered to be comfortable, they do have some negative issues.  The primary concern with briefs would be the potential visibility of “panty lines”.  With briefs, you may have panty lines.  In summary, a women’s brief is a traditional rise silhouette that sits at the waist with a low leg line and full rear coverage.

French Briefs / French Cut Panties :  A moderate to full coverage silhouette that sits at the waistline with a high cut leg.  French Cut briefs offers full front and back coverage with a flattering hi cut leg openings.  The French cut style rises to natural waistline.

G-string : a g-string has less back side fabric then a thong.  And most certainly far less fabric coverage then a traditional ladies brief.  Essentially, the back of the garment has a string of fabric that goes between the cheeks.  The back is not actually made of string, but is often as thin as a piece of string.  The g-string is typically considered to be a sexy underwear style.  The back or front of the g-string is on occasion decorated by trimming such as a bow.  This underwear can be in solid colors or novelty prints.

Peekaboo panty / Crotchless Underwear :  Peekaboo underwear is simply a more delicate way of saying crotchless underwear.  Peekaboo panties are essentially a pair of panties that has a split front so that little or no fabric is covering the crotch area.  Peekaboo underwear can come in various silhouettes.  For example, boy shorts, briefs, and thongs can all be made into peekaboo styles.

String Bikini : a string bikini is similar to a bikini brief but string bikini has only thin straps at the sides.

Tap Pants : According to Wikipedia, "Tap pants are a form of lingerie worn mostly by women. They are also known by the names of French knickers, side-cut shorts, and dance shorts. As the name implies, they are a type of shorts, in that they cover the pelvic area and the upper part of the upper legs.  Tap pants look much like track shorts, allow freedom of movement, and can be worn as an outer garment over other types of underwear (e.g., g-strings). However, most wearers may wear them as innerwear or leisurewear with nothing underneath. From a distance, one could mistakenly identify tap pants as a half slip."  Tap pants are loose short that graze the body as you move.   They are often manufactured from very delicate, feminine fabrics like lace and silk.  They go well under a skirt or dress.

Thong / Thongs :  Viewed from the front, the thong typically resembles a bikini bottom, but at the back the material is reduced to a minimum. The back of the garment typically consists of a thin waistband and a thin strip of material, designed to be worn between the buttocks, which connects the middle of the waistband with the bottom front of the garment.  A thong is occasionally referenced as a T-back.  Some people will also use the term thong and g-string interchangeably.  However, they are actually two different styles of garment.  For your reference, the g-string typically has less fabric in the back.  In summary, thongs essentially look like most other panties from the front but have a thin piece of fabric at the back that lies between the cheeks.  In addition to sex appeal, thong underwear also helps prevent panty lines.