The Daily Mail reports that UK sales of briefs (the English call them Y-fronts) have risen 35 percent since the beginning of the global credit crunch. In fact, last month briefs outsold boxers for the first time since the early 1990s.
Perhaps anecdotal reports that briefs are gaining in popularity have some truth to them.
Actually, we call them briefs too. We only use Y-fronts for those briefs that have openings at the front.