• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / What does the expression “to lose one’s shirt” mean and Where does it come from?

What does the expression “to lose one’s shirt” mean and Where does it come from?

March 16, 2020 by Karen Hill

The expression “to lose one’s shirt” means to lose everything one has, and, though this expression is fairly new, the concept of one’s shirt being the last thing one possesses, next to his skin, is not exactly new.

Chaucer conveyed that thought when, in “The Wyf of Bathes Tale,” he wrote, “Who that holt (hold) him payd of his povert (poverty), I holde him riche, al (though) had he nought (not) a schert.”

It is the same idea which, for several centuries also, others have had in speaking of one who has “not a shirt to his back,” or who had “given away the shirt off his back”, the last of his possessions, that is.

Related Facts

  • Who Invented the T-Shirt and How Did the T-Shirt Get Its Name?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • What Does the Expression “Betting your Shirt” Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?
  • Where does the phrase “to keep one’s shirt on” come from and What does it mean?
  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • How Do You Lose Fat Cells When You Lose Weight and How Many Fat Cells Does the Average Adult Have?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the phrase “touch and go” come from and What does touch and go mean?
Next Post: What does the expression “to be in a hole” come from and What does in a hole mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy