T-shirt orig. U.S.
(ˈtiːʃɜːt)
Also tee-shirt.
[f. the letter T (see below) + shirt n.]
A simple kind of garment, orig. a man's undershirt, typically short-sleeved, round-necked, buttonless and made from knitted cotton fabric, and forming the shape of a letter T when spread out flat; now a similar garment of various designs, widely worn as a shirt by men, women, and children for sport or as casual wear.
| 1920 F. Scott Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise i. i. 25 Amory, provided with ‘six suits summer underwear..one sweater or T shirt..’ set out for New England, the land of schools. 1944 Survey Graphic Aug. 368/3 We have been slow to realize that the high school crowd needs to sit in with us, with all their jive talk, their ‘T’ shirts and ‘sloppy joes’. 1948 Sun (Baltimore) 2 Aug. 6/2 A ragged looking pair of trousers and as dark a shirt [as] possible or an old ‘tee’ shirt. 1957 J. Braine Room at Top xxv. 203 Roy..was wearing blue suède shoes, blue linen slacks, an orange T-shirt, and white sunglasses. 1958 Daily Express 4 Mar. 3/7 Lord M―..wore a striped tee-shirt. 1973 C. Bonington Next Horizon xiv. 202 Sebastian,..presented a sharp contrast to myself, already scruffy in T-shirt and jeans. 1980 Times 7 Feb. 13 There will be pop music and phone-ins, tee-shirts and car stickers. |
Hence T-shirted, tee-shirted adjs., wearing or clothed in a T-shirt.
| 1957 J. Kerouac On Road (1958) ii. vi. 134 His muscular neck, T-shirted in the winter night. 1959 Times 21 Oct. 11/3 T-shirted trippers perched on tubular steel chairs. 1973 Philadelphia Inquirer (Today Suppl.) 14 Oct. 27 (caption) A funeral parlor..is guarded by tee-shirted gang members outside. 1979 Guardian 3 Sept. 11/8 The jeaned and tee-shirted young. |