Definition

Noun: A very slender, tightly cinched waist, often exaggerated in appearance, reminiscent of the narrow midsection of a wasp.

Usage

This term is used to describe an extremely thin waist, typically as a result of corseting or fashion, creating a pronounced contrast with the bust and hips. It often carries historical or stylistic connotations.

Examples

• The Victorian dress emphasized her wasp waist.
• The fashion illustration depicted a figure with an exaggerated wasp waist.

Advanced Usage

• The term is frequently used in historical and fashion contexts to describe a specific silhouette popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
• It can be used metaphorically to describe any object or structure that is very narrow in the middle.

Variants and Related Words

• Wasp-waisted (adjective): Having a wasp waist.
  • The wasp-waisted silhouette was the height of fashion.

Synonyms

• Slender waist
• Cinched waist
• Hourglass figure (specifically referring to the overall shape that includes a wasp waist)

Idioms and Phrases

• While not a phrasal verb, the term itself often appears in descriptive phrases like "an impossibly small wasp waist" or "the coveted wasp waist."

Noun

1. a very slender waist