apple-catchers

British slang for large, loose, or oversized underwear — the kind with ample room in the seat, evoking the image of a pouch big enough to catch falling apples. The term is typically used with humor, sometimes affectionately and sometimes as gentle mockery, to describe practical or unfashionable undergarments favored for comfort over style. Common in informal British English and distinctly playful in register.

British slang for large, roomy underwear, particularly women's briefs cut with generous coverage. The name is darkly comic: the size and shape of the garment suggests it could catch falling fruit. Used in teasing or self-deprecating humor about choosing practical over fashionable underwear. Primarily British informal usage, though the visual joke travels well. The humor relies on the contrast between the grandiose name and the entirely practical garment it describes.

(slang) large, spacious underwear.