[Idiom] Get your knickers in a twist

[kilroy65]

A good friend has just split up with someone after having a fleeting affair which, as she realizes very well, wasn't worth the time. And yet, she's quite upset about it. I'd like to cheer her up. Off the top of my head, I can think of three expressions:

• Don't get your knickers in a twist!
• Keep your hair on!
• Don't get wound up!

Which would be the best option? If you could come up with a better expression, I'd be really grateful!

 

[Raymott]

I don't think any of those are appropriate in this case. They are only good for very short term upsets - a few seconds to minutes.
"Keep your head up."
"There's plenty of fish in the sea."

Actually, if it was a friend of mine, I'd probably not resort to platitudes, but say something more to the point and individualized.

 

[GoesStation]

It's mainly a BrE expression, but as an AmE-speaker I suspect that don't get your knickers in a twist would be quite inappropriate. Knickers being an item of women's underwear, you probably don't want to mention them to your female friend while she's recovering from a short-term relationship.

 

[MikeNewYork]

In AmE one will hear "panties in a knot".

 

[Tdol]

It's mainly a BrE expression, but as an AmE-speaker I suspect that don't get your knickers in a twist would be quite inappropriate.

We do use the expression, but it would be inappropriate in BrE for this context. Raymott's suggestions would work better, and his advice more so.