Muffin top
A muffin-top (or "muffin top") is a slang term typically used to describe a man or woman's skin or body fat that is visible above the waistline of pants or skirts because of tight clothing. The term is a reference to the way a muffin appears when it has been baked in a muffin tin, in which the top of a muffin is wider than its paper casing.
Origin
Muffin-top originated as Australian slang in mid-2003,[1] but has since become popular in other English-speaking countries. 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 high-waisted garments, with muffin tops no longer an issue.[2]
See also
References
- ^ "'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.
- ^ "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.
When the wearer's abdomen is flat, a display of flesh above and well below the bellybutton produces an eye-catching picture of what The Scotsman in Britain has called the Britney belly-flash. However, when the wearer's midriff is flabby, a vivid culinary metaphor is used: muffin-top. As every baker knows, a muffin is a small cake that rises above its metal container. When removed from the pan, its shape is round, with the top hanging over the base of the cake like a small, harmless mushroom cloud.