wedgie

A man receiving a wedgie

A wedgie occurs when a person's underwear or other garments are wedged between the buttocks. While a wedgie can be created naturally, the term is usually associated with a prank or as a form of bullying. When a person is on the receiving end of a wedgie, their underwear is forcibly pulled up by a second person.

Wedgies are commonly featured in popular works, either as a form of low comedy or as a behaviour representative of bullying. In such works, briefs (also known as tighty whiteys) are usually the type of underpants that a wedgie is performed upon.^[1][2]

Variations

As a prank or form of bullying, there are a number of variants to the normal wedgie. The wedgie is particularly effective as a bullying type prank as it is both painful and humiliating. When a traditional wedgie is performed the victims underwear or panties are pulled forcefully upwards causing a tearing pressure to the victim's anus, thus causing tremendous pain. The humiliation aspect lies in the public effect of seeing the victim's underwear forced into such a tender area. It is wholly impractical to list every variant, as the names and processes are entirely subjective; however, there are a few better-known variants.

• The Melvin is a variant where the victim's underwear is pulled up from the front, to cause injury to the victim's genitals.^[3]

• The atomic wedgie entails hoisting the waistband of the receiver's underwear up and over their head.^[3][4]

• The hanging wedgie is a variant in which the victim is hung from his or her underwear, elevated above the ground.^[5]

See also

• List of school pranks

References