skivvies

スイスで下着を地中に埋める不思議な社会実験が行われているそうです。

聞いただけでは意味不明ですが、土壌の微生物活動などを調べるための極めて真面目な研究なのだそうです。

Scientists plan to bury thousands of pairs of underwear in gardens across Switzerland to measure “soil health,” according to a report.

Researchers from the agricultural institute Agroscope will send 2,000 pairs of cotton undies to volunteers to cover in dirt for a project dubbed Proof by Underpants, according to Science Focus.

They’ll dig them up one to two months later and examine how much damage organisms — including fungi, insects, and worms — have done to the skivvies. The more holes, the healthier the soil, according to researchers.

（中略）

The University of Zurich, which is contributing to the study, said the goal is to “shine a spotlight on the essential but rather unknown and fascinating universe below our feet.”

(Natalie O'Neill. Why Swiss scientists are burying thousands of pairs of underwear. New York Post. April 21, 2021.)

下着（underwear）ということですが、以前に"undies"を取り上げたことがあります。

今日取り上げるのは、また別の単語ですが、"skivvies"は男性用のパンツを指す米語表現だそうです。

特にボクサーパンツのことを指すのですが、元は商標名であったものが、一般名詞化したものだそうです。