{{Short description|Forcibly pulling a person's underpants}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{Pp-semi-indef}} {{About|the wardrobe malfunction|other uses|Wedge (disambiguation){{!}}Wedge}} thumb|right|A male being given a wedgie by another person A '''wedgie''' is the act of forcibly pulling a person's underpants upwards from the back, thus forcing the fabric into the intergluteal cleft uncomfortably. The act is often performed as a school prank or a form of bullying.
Wedgies are commonly featured in popular works, either as a form of low comedy or as a behaviour representative of bullying. In such works, briefs are usually the type of underpants that are worn by the victim.<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wedgie Wedgie.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118154705/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wedgie |date=2007-11-18 }} ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'', Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Retrieved 30 November 2007 via Dictionary.com.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZNSWgL02c6QC&dq=wedgie+bully&pg=PP4 ''No More Bullies''], School Counselor Resources.</ref>
The same term can also refer to the situation wherein any clothing worn over the buttocks randomly becomes wedged between them.<ref>[https://www.wordreference.com/definition/wedgie Wedgie], WordReference.com Dictionary of English</ref>
==Dangers== Wedgies, especially when performed on males, can be dangerous, potentially causing testicular or scrotal damage. An incident in 2004 involving a ten-year-old boy required reattachment of a testicle to the scrotum.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Emergency-operation-after-school-prank.899144.jp |title=Emergency operation after school prank |newspaper=Yorkshire Post |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110171539/http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/local-stories/emergency-operation-after-school-prank-1-2552073 |date=2004-12-02 |archive-date=2014-01-10 |access-date=2021-03-15}}</ref>
==Variations== thumb|right|A female receiving a regular wedgie. There are various versions of the traditional wedgie that can be used as pranks or a form of bullying. It is impractical to list every variant, as the names and processes can be rather subjective; however, below are a few better-known variants of the wedgie. * The '''melvin''' is a variant where the victim's underpants are pulled up from the front, to cause injury, or, at least, severe pain to the victim's genitals.<ref name="sfgate">{{Cite web |last=Curran |first=David |date=4 January 2007 |title=Gwyneth And 'The Atomic Wedgie' / The attempt to prove the actress wrong after she slams American dinner party chatter is beyond a disaster. |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/g/a/2007/01/04/gwyneth.DTL |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029111612/http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Gwyneth-And-The-Atomic-Wedgie-The-attempt-to-2659597.php |archive-date=29 October 2014 |access-date=7 July 2009 |work=SFGate}}</ref> * The '''atomic wedgie''' entails hoisting the waistband of the receiver's underwear up and over their head, which on at least one occasion has been lethal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stilwell |first=Blake |date=5 May 2023 |title=A Marine Veteran Was Sentenced to 30 Years for Killing His Stepfather with an Atomic Wedgie |url=https://www.military.com/off-duty/marine-veteran-was-sentenced-30-years-killing-his-stepfather-atomic-wedgie.html |access-date=30 December 2025 |website=Military.com}}</ref> * The '''hanging wedgie''' is where the victim is hung by their underpants, elevated above the ground.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stuever |first=Hank |date=2 September 2002 |title=At School, a Most Uncomfortable Subject |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/158159441.html?dids=158159441:158159441&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=SEP+02%2C+2002&author=Hank+Stuever&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=At+School%2C+a+Most+Uncomfortable+Subject&pqatl=google |url-status= |access-date=7 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413063907/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/158159441.html?dids=158159441:158159441&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=SEP+02%2C+2002&author=Hank+Stuever&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=At+School%2C+a+Most+Uncomfortable+Subject&pqatl=google |archive-date=13 April 2010}}</ref> * The '''ripping wedgie''' involves the tearing of the victim's underpants, sometimes ripping off a portion of them (such as the waistband), or forcibly removing the garment entirely.<ref>{{cite book |last=Harper|first=Shaun R.|date=2010|title=College Men and Masculinities Theory, Research, and Implications for Practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MlYHxLp1ieEC|publisher=Wiley|page=270|isbn=9780470448427}}</ref> <!-- Do NOT make additions without proper citations. They will be likely be removed. Please keep the list encyclopedic.-->
== See also == * List of practical joke topics ** Happy corner ** Indian burn *Wedgies, a 2008 mini series-focused block on Cartoon Network
== References == {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
== External links == {{wiktionary|wedgie|atomic wedgie|melvin}} * {{commonscatinline|Wedgies}}
Category:Harassment and bullying Category:Undergarments Category:Practical jokes Category:Buttocks