LOL I know what you mean! Where I live, 'underwear' is the universal, gender-neutral word for the garments that either men or women wear underneath their clothes, whether the garment be a bra, an undershirt, underpants or pants/panties.
When we want to be more specific about it, it's like Susie said- men's underpants are referred to as either boxers or shorts ( after the style that boxers wear in the ring), or briefs, otherwise known around my area as 'whitey-tighties' because they are form-fitting instead of loose like boxers. lol Women's underpants are referred to as panties.
IrishLass
