panty

In Hawaii, calling someone a "panty" is a common, mildly derogatory slang term used to describe a wimp, coward, or someone who is acting overly timid. It is frequently thrown around among friends, coworkers, and family members as a form of teasing or tough love to motivate someone who is hesitating, complaining about minor discomforts, or refusing to take a small risk. While it is generally used playfully in casual, blue-collar, or local settings—like a construction site, a lineup at a surf spot, or during a cold morning of yard work—it can escalate a confrontation if used aggressively against a stranger. The term strips away the literal meaning of the undergarment and instead functions purely as an attack on someone's toughness, reflecting the local culture's emphasis on resilience and thick skin.

The heater in the Toyota Tacoma was blasting, but the Waimea morning air still bit through the cracked window. Frank sat in the driver's seat, gripping his thermos of black coffee and glaring at his nephew, who was shivering in a thick hoodie and refusing to open the passenger door. They had three miles of barbed wire to check before the sun fully cleared the Kohala mountains, and the kid was acting like stepping into the fifty-degree mist was a death sentence.

"Eh, you going get out or what?" Frank barked, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. "I told your maddah I was going teach you how for work, not how for sit in my truck and waste my gas. No be one panty. It's just a little bit wind."

His nephew groaned, pulling the drawstrings of his hood so tight only his nose was visible. Frank rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath about how this generation couldn't handle a single drop of rain without crying. He shoved his door open, the freezing drizzle instantly soaking his flannel shirt, and slammed it shut behind him, leaving the kid to either freeze outside or die of embarrassment inside.