English

Adjective

wasp-waisted ‎(comparative more wasp-waisted, superlative most wasp-waisted)

1. Having a very slim waist, especially as a result of tightly-laced clothing.
   • 1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin 2006, p. 11:

     He strutted down Bond Street with the best of them, decked out in in his top hat, wasp-waisted coat and silk hose.

   • 2011, Lucy Mangan, The Guardian, 12 Oct 2011:

     "Housewife" recalls too strongly the wasp-waisted 1950s figure outwardly thrilling to the latest advances in domestic technology while necking tranquillisers to dull the pain of frustrated ambition.

Related terms

• wasp waist