Reminded of this historical joke, which goes back to my WWii childhood, by recent rerun of episode of Foyle's War in which the Americans arrived in Hastings in 1942; & also by line quoted on current thread from some versions of Eskimo Nell. There was a range of wartime goods, govt-approved for their patriotic plain austere fitness-for-purpose, marked with a kitemark to signify 'Utility': whence ~~

Utility knickers: one Yank and they're down.

~Michael~