waistn.
/weɪst/, U.S. /weɪst/ 1. ? Proverbial phrase.1611 G. Chapman May-day v, in Wks. (1873) II. 401 Hauing chaster and simpler thoughts then Leonoro imagines because he measures my wast by his owne.
a. The portion of the trunk of the human body that is between the ribs and the hip-bones; the middle section of the body, normally slender in comparison with the parts above and below it.In quot. ?a1500 humorously misused.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > [noun] > middle of trunk or waist
middleeOE
mideOE
girdlec1275
rondelc1300
girdlesteadc1330
waistc1386
belt steadc1540
girding-place1601
midriff1823
beltline1892
midsection1956
c1386 G. Chaucer Sir Thopas Prol. 10 He in the waast is shape as wel as I.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 373 Whan I beclippe hire on the wast.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 144 Bot[h] his wombe & his wast were worthily smale.
c1420 Anturs of Arth. (Douce) 578 He bronched him yne withe his bronde..þorghe þe waast of þe body.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 517/2 Waste, of a mannys myddyl.., vastitas, Cath.
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur xi. xii. 589 There he fond a knyght that was bounden with a chayne faste aboute the wast vnto a pyller of stone.
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Fox, Wolf, & Husbandman l. 2422 in Poems (1981) 90 The tod lap on land..And left the volff in watter to the waist.
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xxix. 135 His necke shorte,..His breste fatte and bolne in the wast.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 246 He grippit hir abowt the west.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 9902 Dyomede..Halfe-lyueles..felle, With a wicked wound thurgh the wast euyn.
1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Apr. 134 Gird in your waste..with a tawdrie lace.
a1605 R. Bannatyne Memorials Trans. Scotl. (1836) 170 Culan and his men..waide to their westis befoir thei come to dry land.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xx. 119 Down from the wast tha're centaures, though women all aboue. View more context for this quotation
1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis xx. 193 Young Virgins..who thinking a Slender-waste a great beauty, strive all that they possibly can by streight-lacing themselves, to attaine unto a wand-like smalnesse of Waste.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 1113 Those Leaves They gatherd..And..together sowd, To gird thir waste . View more context for this quotation
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 29 Over the Doliman, they gird themselves about the small of the waste with a Sash.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth II. 260 He was so tall, that the Spaniards only reached his waist.
1839 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. 105 And, lo! half of him, from his waist to the soles of his feet, was stone.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xviii. 131 Hitherto my guides in dangerous places had tied the ropes round their waists also.
1871 Figure Training 17 It is not to be wondered at that ten years ago a waist of sixteen inches in circumference, for a lady of average height, should be regarded as a..much-to-be-admired achievement.
1880 ‘Ouida’ Moths I. 5 She made her waist fifteen inches round.
b. Applied to the corresponding part in an insect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > parts of insects > [noun] > waist
waist1712
petiole1856–8
1712 J. Warder True Amazons 3 The Bee is..very slender in the Waste or middle part.
1871 E. F. Staveley Brit. Insects xiii. 155 The insects belonging to these two subsections can at once be distinguished from each other by their waists being large or small.
c. transferred. The middle narrower part (of something compared in shape to the human body). Cf. 4.
Π
1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion vi. 91 That part of Wales,..Which (as her very waste) in breadth from East to West, In length from North to South, her midst is euery way.
1817 Ld. Byron Manfred i. i. 10 Mont Blanc is the monarch of mountains,..Around his waist are forests braced.
1862 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire VII. lxi. 84 He had quitted the waist and had here reached the neck of Britain.
2. † a. A girdle. Obsolete.figurative and in extended use.1579 G. Fenton tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin ix. 478 The enemies abandoned suddeinly the towne wherein the french being bestowed, planted their artillerie against the first wast [It. contro al primo procinto].1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida i. sig. B3v Weele girt them with an ample waste of love.a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) iv. iii. 20 Spurre to the rescue of the Noble Talbot, Who now is girdled with a waste of Iron. View more context for this quotationfigurative.1590 ‘Pasquil’ First Pt. Pasquils Apol. sig. C3 These places are too short in the waste to serue hys turne.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > belt or sash > types of > worn around waist
girdlec1000
seynta1350
ceintec1386
senturea1400
love-lacec1400
girdinga1425
cinglec1430
seynturec1460
cenglea1492
waist1550
waist-girdle1553
centure1562
zone1608
cummerbund1616
cincture1667
waist-belt1672
centurine1696
faja1841
ceinture1856
crios1899
1550 R. Crowley One & Thyrtye Epigrammes sig. Dviii Hyr mydle braced in as smal as a wande: And some by wastes of wyre at the paste wyfes hande.
1588 R. Parke tr. J. G. de Mendoza Hist. Kingdome of China 77 They do weare wastes or girdels imbossed with gold.
a1596 G. Peele Loue King Dauid & Fair Bethsabe (1599) sig. Giijv I might haue giuen thee for thy paines Tenne siluer sickles, and a golden wast.
?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads vii. 264 A faire well glossed purple waste [ζωστῆρα..ϕοίνικι ϕαεινόν].
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) ii. i. 217 Those sleeping stones, That as a waste doth girdle you about By the compulsion of their Ordinance. View more context for this quotation
b. The part of a garment that covers the waist; the narrowed part of a garment corresponding to the narrowing of the body at the waist (but sometimes, in accordance with fashion, worn higher or lower than the position of this); the place in a woman's dress where the bodice and skirt meet.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > waist
waist1650
1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis App. 259 The Waste (as one notes) is now come to the Knee; for the Points that were used to be about the Middle, are now dangling there.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 109. ⁋4 The Modern [petticoat] is gather'd at the Waste.
1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy II. iii. 64 They loaded the pistols, took a pair each and put them in their waists.
1846 F. W. Fairholt Costume in Eng. 401 In 1794 short waists became fashionable.
1846 F. W. Fairholt Costume in Eng. 403 Open gowns were discarded, and waists about 1798 became longer, until at the end of the century they regained their proper shape.
1871 Figure Training 25 Ladies of fashion in England might be said to have at that period [c1806] abandoned waists altogether.
c. The part of a garment between the shoulders and the ‘waist’ or narrowed part (see 2b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > other
netOE
sheepskinc1175
tail1297
panec1300
slipc1440
cukera1500
peak1509
waist1590
bumbarrel1609
winglet1611
armhole1731
fullness1792
stride1807
bottom1820
patte1835
buckling1861
ventilator1870
tie-back1880
shield1884
organ pleat1886
outer1904
flarea1910
uplift1929
1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster North-ward Hoe iii. sig. D3v What fashion will make a woman haue the best bodie Taylor. Tay. A short dutch wast with a round cathern-wheele fardingale.
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) ii. 14 ‘Rather short in the waist, an't it?’ said the stranger, screwing himself round, to catch a glimpse in the glass of the waist buttons which were half way up his back.
1853 C. Dickens Bleak House vi. 47 Ladies haymaking, in short waists, and large hats tied under the chin.
d. A bodice, blouse. Chiefly U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > bodice
lyfkie1578
bodicea1625
waist1816
shirt-gown1889
1816 Sporting Mag. 48 189 A lady observing her neighbour in a public room, dressed very tawdrily in a satin waist, drily remarked, it was a waste of satin.
1878 H. James Europeans II. ii. 44 She wore a white muslin waist with an embroidered border.
1893 E. Custer Tenting on Plains 85 I had exchanged the waist for a jacket, and left it under a tree.
1908 W. Churchill Mr. Crewe's Career xix. 317 Mrs. Fitch..had run from the wash-tub to get into her Sunday waist.
e. U.S. ‘An undergarment worn specially by children, to which petticoats and drawers are buttoned’ ( Cent. Dict.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > underwear > [noun] > vest or undershirt > for infant
shirtOE
waist1893
1893 Helen Campbell in Arena 435 Two and a half cents each is paid for the making of boys' gingham waists.
3.
a. Nautical. The middle part of the upper deck of a ship, between the quarter-deck and the forecastle.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > part of vessel above water > [noun] > deck > upper deck > parts of
waist1495
quarterdeck1622
gangway1700
main deck1730
well-deck1759
booms1764
no man's land1769
1495 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 194 Stone gonnes of yron in the Wast of the seid Shipp.
15.. Batayll of Egyngecourte 90 A ij These goodly shyppes lay there at rode..The wastes decked with serpentynes stronge.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 287/1 Waste of a shyppe, cors de nauire.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxiv. sig. Ee3 Already it [the fire] did embrace and deuoure from the sterne, to the wast of the ship.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 198.
a1630 F. Moryson in Shakespeare's Europe (1903) i. viii. 136 Being built large in the Wast and Keele for Capacitye of Marchandize, they are vnfitt to fight at Sea.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson i. iii. 29 The waste of the ship was filled with live cattle.
1816 ‘Quiz’ Grand Master i. 18 Neptune will presently be here, And as his godship is in haste, Muster the people in the waste.
1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys' Training Ships Royal Navy 9 Q. Which is the waist? A. That portion of the upper deck contained between the fore and main hatchways.
1915 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Indian Mem. i. 5 The heavy seas had..carried away the ladders leading from the upper deck into the waist.
b. Nautical. In occasional uses: (a) plural = waist-rails, see waist-rail n. 1; (b) each of the two sides of the waist.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > part of vessel above water > [noun] > rails or mouldings > at sides
lee-rail1513
waist1667
sheer-rail1769
rough-tree rail1780
foot rail1781
waist-rail1804
side rail1903
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > part of vessel above water > [noun] > deck > upper deck > parts of > each side of middle part
waist1667
1667 London Gaz. No. 127/4 She has been 52. dayes beating at Sea in fowl weather, in which she spent her Main-Top-Mast and her Wasts.
1679 A. Lovell tr. F. Pomey Indiculus Universalis 199 The waste, or defences of the sides of a ‘Ship’.
1820 W. Scoresby Acct. Arctic Regions II. 196 A ship having seven boats carried one at each waist.., two at each quarter.., and one across the stern.
c. Aeronautics. The middle section of the fuselage of an aeroplane, esp. a bomber. U.S.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > [noun] > fuselage > middle section
central section1806
waist1942
1942 [see waist-gun n. at Compounds 2].
1956 U.S.A.F. Dict. 560/2 Waist, the middle section of an airplane's fuselage. Applied esp. to the middle section of a bomber.
4. Applied to the narrowest or slenderest part of an object which is smaller in breadth or girth near the middle than at the extremities; esp. of a bell, a violin or similar instrument, a boot or shoe.
ΘΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [noun] > central part > middle narrower part
waist1612
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > breadth or width > lack of breadth or narrowness > [noun] > a narrow part > in the middle
waist1612
1612 S. Rid Art of Iugling sig. E2 A peece of lether..which being thrust vp hard to the middle or waste of the said bell, will sticke fast.
1676 J. Moxon Regulæ Trium Ordinum 26 Describe the outer Arch under the Waste of g on the left hand.
1791 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse §64 It also seemed equally desirable, not to increase the size of the present building in its Waist; by which I mean that part of the building between the top of the rock, and the top of the solid.
1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. xxvii. §4980 The ‘Cremerian boot’, with elastic spring in waist or arch of foot.
1872 H. T. Ellacombe Bells of Church viii, in Church Bells Devon 407 The waist of the bell is studded with stars.
1874 J. D. Heath Compl. Croquet-player 26 The amount of spring or elasticity in the handle varies according to the thickness of the waist or thinnest part of it.
1895 P. N. Hasluck Boot Making viii. 132 To make a square waist, an iron similar to a double iron is used; for other waists, irons are used according to the shape required.
1902 D. G. Hogarth Nearer East 2 The ‘Medic’ or ‘Indian Isthmus’, which is that Waist of Asia, reduced to 700 miles' breadth, which lies between the Caspian and the Indian Seas.
5. Affectedly used for: Middle (of day or night). Obsolete.
ΘΠ
the world > time > period > [noun] > middle of a period
midtime1418
heart1523
holla1525
deep1530
waist1604
depth1605
full1658
howe1818
hollow1864
inside1890
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet i. ii. 198 In the dead wast [1603 vast] and middle of the night. View more context for this quotation
1604 J. Marston Malcontent ii. v. sig. D3v Tis now about the immodest waste of night.
1622 J. Taylor Very Merry Wherry-Ferry Voy. in Wks. (1630) ii. 7/1 About the waste or Nauell of the Day [note, Noone if you'l take it so].
1645 J. Taylor Crop-eare Curried 1 About the Waste or Navel of the night, Drowsie Somnus came stealing to me.
1651 J. Smith Loves Hero & Leander 2 This was about the waste of day, The middle, as the Vulgar say.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a. Simple attributive.
(a)
waist height n.
Π
1953 E. Simon Past Masters i. i. 21 The tops of the bookshelves which at waist-height ran along the walls.
waist size n.
Π
1918 T. Eaton & Co. Catal. Spring–Summer 188/1 Women's overalls, made of fine khaki drill... Waist sizes 24 to 38.
1974 Country Life 12 Dec. 1903/1 Tartan skirts..in waist sizes 24–30 in.
(b)
waist-length adj.
Π
1944 R. Lehmann Ballad & Source i. ii. 14 She wore a waist-length cape called a dolman.
1977 ‘L. Egan’ Blind Search i. 1 Her waist-length brown hair [was] untidily braided.
b. With sense ‘intended to be placed, or worn, on or round the waist’.† waist-doublet n. Obsolete
waist-belt n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > belt or sash > types of > worn around waist
girdlec1000
seynta1350
ceintec1386
senturea1400
love-lacec1400
girdinga1425
cinglec1430
seynturec1460
cenglea1492
waist1550
waist-girdle1553
centure1562
zone1608
cummerbund1616
cincture1667
waist-belt1672
centurine1696
faja1841
ceinture1856
crios1899
1672 J. Dryden Conquest Granada Prol. to pt. i sig. b3v I'll write a Play, sayes one, for I have got A broad-brim'd hat, and wastbelt tow'rds a Plot.
1868 Queen's Regul. §1128 Both straps of the havresack are to be worn outside the waist belt, so that the havresack may be easily shifted.
waist-buckle n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > fastenings > clasp or buckle > types of
fermilletc1475
fermail1480
agraffec1660
stone-buckle1748
waist-buckle1805
aggrape1846
snake bucklea1882
1805 Ann. Reg., Chron. 394/2 Her Majesty has recovered a diamond waist-buckle which she had lost, and for which 10 guineas reward had been offered for the recovery.
waist-clout n.
Π
1864 J. R. Lowell Fireside Trav. 4 The merest waist-clout of modesty.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > doublet > types of
pourpointa1325
waist-doublet1553
belly-doublet1598
pee-doublet1600
crop-doublet1640
1553 in J. C. Jeaffreson Middlesex County Rec. (1886) I. 14 Unum diploidem vocatum a wast~dublett.
waist-girdle n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > belt or sash > types of > worn around waist
girdlec1000
seynta1350
ceintec1386
senturea1400
love-lacec1400
girdinga1425
cinglec1430
seynturec1460
cenglea1492
waist1550
waist-girdle1553
centure1562
zone1608
cummerbund1616
cincture1667
waist-belt1672
centurine1696
faja1841
ceinture1856
crios1899
1553 in J. C. Jeaffreson Middlesex County Rec. (1886) I. 14 Duos velvet wast gyrdles.
1908 H. H. Johnston G. Grenfell & Congo II. xxiii. 589 A waist-cloth is worn all round the body from below a waist-girdle, down to the knees.
waist-jacket n.
Π
1901 ‘L. Malet’ Hist. Sir Richard Calmady ii. viii. 155 A..little stick of a man, arrayed in frayed and tarnished splendour of sky-blue waist-jacket, silver lace, and jackboots.
waist-piece n.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > [noun] > suit of armour > other pieces
jeryne?a1400
strip?a1513
waist-piece1870
1870 C. C. Black tr. A. Demmin Weapons of War 228 Waist~piece, or great brayette (Vorderschurz) belonging to a Gothic suit of the fifteenth century.
waist-plate n.
ΘΠ
society > communication > indication > insignia > [noun] > specific emblems, badges, or cognizances > others
cocklestone1591
Rosy Cross1621
toison d'or1704
greyhound1747
foul anchor1754
red cross1866
Geneva cross1870
Tammany tiger1871
fasces1889
waist-plate1902
blue star1917
gold star1917
red ribbon1990
1902 New Reg. War Office 58 Waist-plate. Frosted Gilt Rectangular Plate with Burnished Edges. On the Plate the Royal Cypher and Crown in Silver within an Oak-leaf Wreath. On the lower part of the Wreath a Scroll inscribed ‘Dieu et mon droit’.
waist-pocket n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > bag or pouch worn on person > [noun] > worn around waist on belt
waist-pocket1858
1858–61 E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. Sc. Life (1870) v. 129 His snuff he kept..in a leathern waist-pocket.
waist-scarf n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > belt or sash > types of > for specific purpose
call belt1686
hunger-belt1846
waist-scarf1853
suicide belt1974
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. (1856) xxx. 264 A long waist-scarf, worn like the kummerbund of the Hindoos, is a fine protection while walking, to keep the cold from intruding at the pockets and waist.
waist-sash n.
Π
1908 Chambers's Jrnl. Mar. 218/2 The men were armed with..long knives thrust through their red waist-sashes.
c. With sense ‘worn from the waist’.
waist petticoat n.
Π
1939–40 Army & Navy Stores Catal. 642/2 Waist petticoats..Moiré poplin.
waist slip n.
Π
1955 M. Hall Let's make some Undies (Let's Make It Ser.) 44 (heading) Straight placket for waist slips and knickers.
1976 T. Stoppard Dirty Linen 9 Maddie is..wearing..a waist-slip which is also pretty, silk and lace, with a slit.
d. Objective.
waist-gripping n.
waist-hold n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > wrestling > [noun] > manoeuvres
swengOE
turn?c1225
castc1400
trip1412
fall?a1425
foil1553
collar1581
lock1598
faulx1602
fore-hip1602
forward1602
inturn1602
mare1602
hug1617
disembracement1663
buttock1688
throw1698
back-lock1713
cross-buttock1713
flying horse1713
in holds1713
buttocker1823
chip1823
dogfall1823
cross-buttocker1827
hitch1834
bear hug1837
backfall1838
stop1840
armlock1841
side hug1842
click1846
catch-hold1849
back-breaker1867
back-click1867
snap1868
hank1870
nelson1873
headlock1876
chokehold1886
stranglehold1886
hip lock1888
heave1889
strangle1890
pinfall1894
strangler's grip1895
underhold1895
hammer-lock1897
scissor hold1897
body slam1899
scissors hold1899
armbar1901
body scissors1903
scissors grip1904
waist-hold1904
neck hold1905
scissors1909
hipe1914
oshi1940
oshi-dashi1940
oshi-taoshi1940
pindown1948
lift1958
whip1958
Boston crab1961
grapevine1968
powerbomb1990
1904 Daily Chron. 12 Jan. 8/4 Two minutes passed before the men sought the mat, and then Cherpillod got a waist hold, but failed to turn the American over.
waist-pressing adj.
Π
1840 C. J. Lever Charles O'Malley xxxv, in Dublin Univ. Mag. Oct. 448/1 And the free and easy chuck under the chin, the cherishing, waist-pressing kind of a way we get with the ladies.
waist-tightening n.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > moderation or reduction in expenditure > [noun]
safety1549
moderation1601
retention1655
retrenchment1667
savation?1670
saving1731
waist-tightening1882
cutback1943
1882 W. Besant All Sorts of Men II. xxi. 109 The Professor was already come to the period of waist-tightening.
e. With adjectives.
waist-deep adj.
ΘΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > [adjective] > of specific depth
deepOE
knee-deep1535
ankle-deep1597
waist-deep1763
shoe-deep1773
thigh-deep1851
yard-deep-
1763 L. Scrafton Refl. Govt. Indostan (1770) 117 There was no way of approaching it [sc. the place], but through a morass waist-deep.
1815 W. Scott Lord of Isles v. xiv. 191 The eager knight leap'd in the sea Waist-deep.
1855 Ld. Tennyson Brook in Maud & Other Poems 107 Waist-deep in meadow-sweet.
waist high adj.
ΘΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > [adjective] > specific
waist high1600
knee-high1742
mast-high1798
shoulder-high1837
horse-high1859
thigh-high1893
stride-high1906
treetop1945
1600 E. Fairfax tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne xi. xxvii. 200 Wast high Argantes shew'd himselfe withall.
1876 G. Meredith Beauchamp's Career I. xii. 174 A fence waist-high enclosed its plot of meadow and garden.
C2. Special combinations. See also waistband n., waist-cloth n., waistcoat n., etc.
waist-anchor n. Nautical an anchor stowed in the waist of a vessel, a sheet-anchor.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > anchoring equipment > [noun] > anchor > sheet-anchor
sheet-anchor1495
waist-anchor1846
1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. Waist-Anchor, a spare bower anchor in a ship of war.
1891 H. Patterson Illustr. Naut. Dict. 160 Sheet Anchor, the anchor carried in the waist on board men-o'-war. It is the same in weight as the bowers; sometimes called the waist anchor.
waist-board n. Nautical (see quots.).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > other equipment of vessel > [noun] > devices to protect ship from weather > board to keep water out
set board1512
waist-board1627
washboard1753
water board1758
weatherboard1772
wash-strake1809
splash-board1907
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ii. 9 The Waist boords are set vp in the Ships waist, betwixt the Gun-waile and the waist trees, but they are most vsed in Boats, set up alongst their sides to keepe the Sea from breaking in.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 170 A kind of waste Board, about Two Foot high, built up on the Sides, without any Caulking or Pitching, or any Thing to keep out the Water.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Waist-boards, the berthing made to fit into a vessel's gangway on either side.
waist-boat n. Nautical a boat carried in the waist of a ship, esp. of a whaling-vessel.
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > boat attendant on larger vessel > [noun] > ship's boat > stowed in specific place
stern-boat1837
boom-boat1867
waist-boat1891
1891 Cent. Dict. Waist-boat, a boat carried in the waist of a vessel; specifically, in whaling, the second mate's boat, carried in the waist on the port side.
waistboater n. the officer in charge of such a boat.
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society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > sailors involved in specific duties or activities > [noun] > sailors with other specific duties on ship
sounder1575
carpenter1626
marshal1626
mastman1649
master of voyage1771
tierer1825
legger1831
call boy1835
bellboy1851
paymaster1852
snubber1853
leadsman1857
lamps1866
berther1867
bailer1883
waistboater1891
tanky1909
planesman1945
1891 Cent. Dict. Waistboater, the officer of the boat carried in the waist of a whaler; the second mate.
waist-gun n. a gun set in the waist of an aircraft.
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society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > aircraft weapons or equipment > [noun] > aircraft gun
cannon1914
waist-gun1942
1942 Yank 23 Dec. 4 From his waist~gun position he interphoned the appearance of two Jap nightfighters off to the right.
1978 J. Irving World according to Garp 16 Technical Sergeant Garp, at his waist gun position.
waist-gunner n.
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society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > airman > [noun] > aircrew with specific duties
observer1870
strafer1915
air gunner1916
air bomber1918
gunner1918
rear gunner1918
bombardier1932
bomb-aimer1935
tail gunner1939
tail-end Charlie1941
arse-end Charlie1942
waist-gunner1942
spotter pilot1944
1942 Yank 7 Oct. 3 The waist gunner sits patiently in the waist of the fuselage.
1978 J. Irving World according to Garp i. 15 Sergeant Garp had experience as..a waist gunner in the B-17E.
waist-hammer n. shoemakers' tools (see Compounds 1).
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making footwear > [noun] > equipment or materials for > equipment > other
thumb-stall1589
stopping sticka1600
dresser1600
heel-block1600
rubbing pin1600
stopper1600
petty boy1688
shoe-bench1841
shoe hairs1859
fudge-wheel1874
shoe-hammer1875
size-stick1875
trimming-machine1877
heel breaster1879
slugger1892
waist-hammer1895
waist-iron1895
1895 P. N. Hasluck Boot Making vi. 89 The waist..should be treated with a waist- or cramp-hammer.
waist-iron n. shoemakers' tools (see Compounds 1).
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making footwear > [noun] > equipment or materials for > equipment > other
thumb-stall1589
stopping sticka1600
dresser1600
heel-block1600
rubbing pin1600
stopper1600
petty boy1688
shoe-bench1841
shoe hairs1859
fudge-wheel1874
shoe-hammer1875
size-stick1875
trimming-machine1877
heel breaster1879
slugger1892
waist-hammer1895
waist-iron1895
1895 P. N. Hasluck Boot Making viii. 130 The waist-iron.
waistline n. (a) a line outlining or following the contour of the waist; (b) a person's waist, esp. with reference to its size; (c) = sense 1c; (d) a notional line running round the body of a motor vehicle at the level of the bottom of the window frames.
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1896 Woman's Life 15 Feb. 448/1 Your velvet vest should end in a narrow V at the waist line.
1897 Westm. Gaz. 2 Sept. 3/2 The most critical place in the shirt and skirt costume is the waist-line... One rule is universal in every well-made French gown—that the waist-line slopes downward to the front.
1928 Daily Mail 25 July 8/5 Even if you are one of the fortunate few who need not keep a watchful eye on their waistline, you'll eat Vita-Wheat for pleasure and health.
1930 R. Campbell Adamastor 25 Our Drakensberg's most lofty scalps Would scarcely reach the waist-line of the Alps.
1941 Ann. Reg. 1940 254 The Russians..attacked the ‘waist-line’ [of Finland] from further north.
1959 Times 2 Oct. 9/1 These cars..have an entirely new top from the waistline upwards.
1970 J. Philips Nightmare at Dawn (1971) i. 41 I don't have to worry about my waistline.
1974 Country Life 28 Feb. 446/1 This latest Capri..has a much bigger window area with a lower waistline.
waist-nettings n. Nautical (see quots.).
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > other equipment of vessel > [noun] > netting used for stowage or protection
netting1567
garland1769
gangway netting1794
splinter-netting1799
waist-nettings1849
splinter net1894
1849 Ter Reehorst Mariner's Friend 198 Waistnetting.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Waist~nettings, the hammock-nettings between the quarter-deck and forecastle.
waist-panel n. Carriage-building (see quot.).
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1884 M. N. Forney Car-builder's Dict. in Cent. Dict. Waist-panel, the panel immediately above the lowest panel on the outside of a carriage-body.
waist-torque n. (see quot.).
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > belt or sash > types of > worn by specific people
abnet1602
bride belt1606
posting belt1737
obi1872
waist-torque1891
1891 Cent. Dict. Waist-torque, a girdle, properly one of twisted or spiral bars, worn by the northern nations in the early middle ages.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1921; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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