shirts and skins

noun

A method of indicating team membership, typically when played by boys or men in informal sporting contests, in which the members of one team (the "skins") remove their shirts and play shirtless, while the others (the "shirts") leave their shirts on.

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Meanings

nounshirts and skins pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlyA method of indicating team membership, typically when played by boys or men in informal sporting contests, in which the members of one team (the "skins") remove their shirts and play shirtless, while the others (the "shirts") leave their shirts on.
  2. pluralplural onlyAny game (especially basketball) played using the above method.
Cite this entry
APA

shirts and skins. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shirts%20and%20skins

MLA

“shirts and skins.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shirts%20and%20skins. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shirts and skins,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shirts%20and%20skins.

Source: shirts and skins on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.