tightener
nounUS /ˈtaɪtn̩ɚ/ · UK /ˈtaɪtn̩ə/
Etymology From tighten + -er. Referring to a meal, suggests the tightening of one's belt around the expanding waistline.
1
Something used to tighten.
- 184?, Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor One proposed going to Hungerford-market to do a feed on decayed shrimps or other offal laying about the market; another proposed going to Covent-garden to do a 'tightener' of rotten oranges, to which I was humorously invited; […]
- Now a belt like this is a great saving to a man inasmuch as he can save many a meal by wearing it; all you have to do if you want to save a meal is to buckle in a hole or two tighter, and you will feel as if you have had a tightener and will not miss your dinner for that day.1876, William Green, Charles Hindley, The Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, page 55: