The "john" is probably meaningless, inserted as a generic male name to give balance and a near-rhyme to the phrase. The earliest example of "long john" in print cited by the Oxford English Dictionary comes from 1943, but we can assume that the term was in oral use long before that date. The "union" in "union suit" almost certainly simply refers to the "unified" one-piece design of the garment. is now used to market all sorts of underwear, the original B.V.D.s were full-body one-piece suits of men's underwear with a drop seat, also known as "union suits" or "long johns." My father, who was born in Boston, used to facetiously maintain that "B.V.D." stood for "Boston Ventilated Diapers." Other popular explanations included "Baby's Ventilated Diapers" and "Back Vented Drawers," but the truth was that "B.V.D." stood for "Bradley, Vorhees & Day," the Baltimore firm that manufactured the garment.Īs for "union suit," all sorts of explanations have been offered over the years, including the fable that when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox in 1865, he was wearing a full dress uniform while Grant appeared wearing only his long underwear, thenceforth known as a "union suit." Nice story, but "union suit" didn't appear in the American vocabulary until 1892, long after the Civil War. Silly, yes, but it's also about all I remember from four years of Latin.Īlthough the brand B.V.D. It's an old Latin student's joke: semper (always) ubi (where) sub (under) ubi (where). What is this - National Underwear Month? Well, that makes it as good a time as any to explain the motto "Semper Ubi Sub Ubi" that appears on my web page (especially since readers ask me about it nearly every week. Is the word an acronym for "better ventilated drawers" or is it merely a brand name? - Wordsmith Wannabe, via the internet.ĭear Word Detective: What is the origin of "union suit" and/or "long johns"? - Paul Sironen, via the internet. ĭear Word Detective: Could you please let us know the etymology of "BVD"? I recognize that it is a brand name of underwear that was purchased by Fruit of the Loom in the 1970s. I'd go myself, but this thing they put on my ankle beeps if I try to leave the house. Freedle will be getting a bit testy after she realizes I lied about the open bar and unlimited hot wings. It's probably a good idea to get there early in the day, as Ms. This is such a ridiculously good deal that I plan to buy a dozen or so copies for myself.Īnd anyone in or near Wooster, Ohio on Saturday, November 4th should swing by the Buckeye Book Fair, where my loyal assistant Edith Freedle will be signing books (presumably with my name) for seven hours straight. (as gazillions of folks already have), the combination book/subscription offer means that you are actually paying only $2.95 for a $17.95 book (not counting the postage). Incidentally, readers who were math majors probably realized right off the bat (it only took me a week or so) that if you were already planning to subscribe to TWD-By-E-mail for $15/yr. Each book ordered through this site comes with a free one-year subscription to the e-mail version of The Word Detective, and I can't put you on the list if I don't have your e-mail address. As I noted last month, if you have ordered, or are planning to order, a copy of the Word Detective book through this web site, please let me know your e-mail address.