a friend and I are trying to establish how the word 'pantywaist' wandered away from its roots - its original meaning a woman's one-piece undergarment to a way to describe a person woven from weak moral/spiritual cloth.

any ideas?

here's what I found at etymonline:

Quote:

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panties
1845, "drawers for men" (derogatory), dim. of pants; meaning "underpants for women or children" first recorded 1908. Pantyhose first recorded 1963. Pantywaist "weak or effeminate male" is 1936, from a type of child's garment with short pants that buttoned to the waist of a shirt. Panty raid first attested 1952.

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welcome, amalie!