G-string
A G-string (alternatively gee-string or gee string) is a type of thong underwear or swimsuit, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic, that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips, worn as swimwear or underwear by women and men. The two terms G-string and thong are often used interchangeably; however, they can refer to different pieces of clothing.In early western times it would also be commonly known as the "Ged-String" or the "Parsons Cloth", still a very fashionable item in down town Sunbury. It is also known as the "Garison" string but proof to this is extremely scarce.
Etymology
The origin of the term "G-string" is obscure. Since the 19th century, the term geestring referred to the string which held the loincloth of Native Americans[1] and later referred to the narrow loincloth itself. William Safire in his Ode on a G-String quoted the usage of the word "G-string" for loincloth by Harper's Magazine 15 years after Beadle's and suggested that the magazine confused the word with the musical term G-string (i.e., the string for the G note). Safire also mentions the opinion of linguist Robert Hendrickson that G (or gee) stands for groin, which was a taboo word at the time.[2]
See also
- Kowpeenam, an Indian version of G-string
References
- ^ Beadle, John Hanson (1877). Western Wilds, and the Men Who Redeem Them: An Authentic Narrative. p. 249.
- ^ Safire, William (August 4, 1991). "On Language; Ode on a G-String". The New York Times.
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