lacy edge of my knickers

Hello everyone. I would like to know what "knickers" means in the following sentences:

‘Will,’ I say, ‘the silk—’
His fingers have found the lace edge of my .
‘Will!’ I say, half-annoyed, ‘what on earth are you—’
Then his fingers have slipped inside my knickers and have begun to move against me and I don’t particularly care about the silk any more.

- Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 4

This is a thriller novel published in 2020. One hundred and fifty guests would be gathering at some remote and deserted fictional islet called Inis an Amplóra off the coast of the island of Ireland to celebrate the wedding between Jules (a self-made woman running an online magazine called The Download) and Will (a celebrity appearing in a TV show program called Survive the Night). The day before the actual wedding day, before the rehearsal dinner, Jules, the bride, is trying her wedding dress one last time to double-check, which is when Will enters the room and his fingers find the lace edge of her "knickers."

In this part, I wonder whether the "knickers" here indicate "panties" in the American English (meaning legless undergarment tightly enclosing hips usually worn by women), or a kind of "knickerbockers" that are often worn by women on top of the panties under the skirt, having a length long enough to cover the thighs.

I would very much appreciate your help. 👁 Smile :)

In BE (British English), "knickers" are "undergarments below the waist". Panties.

AE (American English) doesn't use "knickers". It uses "panties" or "underwear".

Dear dojibear,

Thank you very much for the explanation.
Then here, "knickers" would mean "panties" or "briefs," rather than "boxers."

I was originally confused whether the knickers might mean something like boxer's loose-fitting pants, because of the meaning here...

knickers, n. (and int.) : Oxford English Dictionary


But I guess the "knickers" here would just mean "panties," which are usually tight and worn by women.

I sincerely appreciate your help. 👁 Smile :)

Knickers are underpants for females. Very large, baggy, black navy knickers were part of my school uniform some years ago. We had to wear them for outdoor sports. I'm sure the ones worn by the character in the novel were quite different, if the novel is set in the present day.

My British female friends and I may still refer to our panties as knickers in a jocular way. Younger women who have always worn flimsier undergarments may habitually call them knickers. The word is pretty non-sexy, I think.

Unless you have more information, this is a matter of fashion rather than English language. From what you say, I agree with Velisarius that the knickers are the modern tight version and not the baggy item from years ago.

But not all modern knickers are tight and elasticated. Since the ones mentioned are silk, this particular pair are just as likely to be loose-legged or what I'd call French knickers: loose-fitting, wide-legged knickers, typically of silk or satin. But you can't call them "boxers", surely? What welterweight would wear these?

Dear velisarius and Keith Bradford,

Thank you very much for the explanation.
Then the "knickers" here would indicate the modern elasticated panties, but could also be the loose ones like the "French knickers."

Keith Bradford said:

But you can't call them "boxers", surely? What welterweight would wear these?

Yes indeed, so true... 👁 Big Grin :D
👁 Big Grin :D
Even though the knickers here are loose, those would be probably usually worn by females rather than professional boxers.
I sincerely appreciate your help. 👁 Smile :)

Unless you have more information, TA, all we know is that the knickers/panties have lace edges.