English Reference
Idiom idiom

go commando


To not wear underwear (chiefly underpants) under one's outer clothing

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

I forgot my underwear, so I am going commando today.

CONTEXTUAL

He realized he had no clean laundry left, so he decided to go commando for the day.

COMPLEX

After the airline lost his luggage containing all his clothes, he had no choice but to go commando under his suit for the important business meeting.


first recorded 20th c.

Attested since 1974, the term originated as university slang. Explanations regarding its original meaning vary, though the year of its first appearance remains fixed in the record.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all dressed up and nowhere to go

    Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.

  2. 02

    all systems go

    Everything is ready.

  3. 03

    as you go

    While one is doing (something); as one progresses.

  4. 04

    boldly go where no man has gone before

    To break new ground.

  5. 05

    come and go

    To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.

  6. 06

    don't go there

    Do not broach that topic.

  7. 07

    easy come, easy go

    Easily won and easily lost (usually said when resigned to a loss; something that comes in the same way, goes in the same way)

  8. 08

    enough to go around

    There is an adequate amount or supply of something for all of the people present or involved.

Last updated August 10, 2026