gym strip

First attested in a 1952 article in the Victoria Daily Times.^[1] Used primarily in Victoria-area papers through the 1960s.

gym strip (plural gym strips)

1. (British Columbia) A set of clothing (generally a T-shirt and shorts) brought to school to wear during gym class.
   • 2001, Sandra Diersch, Home Court Advantage, page 53:

     But finally, finally the bell rang at two thirty and she could grab her gym strip — that is, her shorts and t-shirt — and head to the change rooms.

   • 2002, Diane Tullson, Edge, page 52:

     I unlock my tote box and reach for my gym strip. I grab my stuff and head for a toilet cubicle to change. I hate gym days. Gym class ruins a perfectly good Friday.

   • 2016, Rosalyn Marie Francis, Math Troubles, page 15:

     Before I forget, I take my gym strip into the laundry room off the kitchen and toss my t-shirt, shorts and socks in the washing machine.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:gym strip.