Uh, don't really like to hear/read people talking about inflicting violence upon their spouse, even if the phrase is meant to be a "funny" way of referring to an undershirt. Why WOULDN'T I object?

Again, I'm clearly coming at this from a completely different place in my head than, apparently, everybody else here, [unnecessary, deleted, sorry]

I thought they were called muscle shirts before "wife beater" took precedence.

Before they were wife beaters, they were dago tees.

We cheerfully called them Guinea Tees when and where I was a kid -- until it occurred to me what in the HELL I was saying. And then I stopped because it was awful. And I pointed out to my friends that it was awful. And eventually that name seemed to go away.

I just don't see much of that reaction to "tramp stamp". (Well now I do :)

so I will shut the hell up and go the hell away

2 separate thoughts, and the second is never desirable.

The shirt in question is my preferred sleep-wear and I wish it had a better name. One time we had a sleep over and three of us gals were wearing them. A guy said, "when I die and go to heaven, all the women will wear those shirts."

I guess I got a little defensive about this because I do occasionally use the term, and when I do use it, I usually mean it to be derogatory, and I don't feel particularly apologetic for that.

I don't feel particularly apologetic for that.

Never apologize for using the phrase in a derogatory fashion. I think we're just analyzing why that particular phrase and usage.

sleeveless undershirt- doesn't really roll off the tongue, does it?

Bummer.

I think we're just analyzing why that particular phrase and usage.

Yeah, that's why I realized it wasn't really an attack on ME, and I didn't at all need to shut the hell up or go the hell away.

I think wife beaters are usually white. I like the black ones. Remember in the 80s we wore two in day glo colors? Were we calling those dago tees?