bust improver
noun1
Historical A late Victorian and Edwardian-era woman’s undergarment providing padding for the breasts.
- The advertisement which I see most often, whether it be of a perfume which I never use, or of a lady’s “bust-improver” which is no concern of mine, is the one which sticks in my memory.1899, Vincent O’Sullivan, “Same”, in The Green Window, London: Leonard Smithers, page 14:
- I walked along a tiled corridor decorated with advertisements for lingerie and bust improvers—was allotted a tiny cabin and a blue print chemise and told to undress and find the Warm Room as soon as possible.1913, Katherine Mansfield, “Bains Turcs”, in The Blue Review, volume I, number 3, page 181:
- Related terms
- binder