A muffin top (also muffin-top) is a slang term typically used to describe a person's body fat that extends horizontally over the edges of the waistline of tightly fitting pants or skirts, visible when there is a gap between the upper and lower garment. The term is a reference to the way a muffin appears when it has been baked in a muffin tin, so that the top of the muffin extends horizontally over and around the top of the tin or casing.
Origin
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Muffin-top originated as Australian slang in mid-2003,[1] but has since become popular in other English-speaking countries. Its use has also been adopted in many non-English-speaking countries across western Europe, such as Germany and France. It may have been first popularized by the Australian television show Kath & Kim.[2] Australia's Macquarie Dictionary named "muffin-top" the word of the year in 2006;[3] the American Dialect Society named it one of the "most creative" new terms that same year.[4] The Oxford English Dictionary added the term to its revised online edition in March 2011.[5]
According to William Safire, writing in The New York Times Magazine, "Muffin-top fills a lexical void" and "describes the roll of excess flesh spilling out primarily in front but possibly all around."[6]
By 2007, the fashion for low-waist trousers and skirts had lost ground to higher-waisted garments, making muffin tops less ubiquitous.[2]
See also
edit- Abdominal obesity – Excess fat around the stomach and abdomen
- Camel toe
- Crop top – Top or t-shirt cut shorter than the waist
- Low-rise pants
- Lower-back tattoo
- Whale tail
References
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- ^ "'Muffin-top:' A bellybutton flasher losing the battle of the bulge". Taipei Times. 2005-08-28.
- ^ a b Winterman, Denise (15 November 2007). "Is this the end of the muffin top?". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ "Australian Dictionary Names 'Muffin Top' Word Of 2006". wayodd.com. 2007-01-25. Archived from the original on 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
- ^ "Truthiness Voted 2005 Word of the Year by American Dialect Society" (PDF). American Dialect Society. 2006-01-06.
- ^ "Muffin top". Oxford English Dictionary. 2011-03-24.
- ^ Safire, William (2005-08-28). "On Language: Muffin-Top". The New York Times Magazine.