Tank top: disentangling etymology from other facts← Previous revisionRevision as of 14:19, 31 October 2026 Line 14: Line 14: === Tank top === === Tank top === [[File:Old style vest (tank top), from 1950s Chinese advertisement.jpg|thumb|upright|Tank top from a 1950s Chinese advertisement]] [[File:Old style vest (tank top), from 1950s Chinese advertisement.jpg|thumb|upright|Tank top from a 1950s Chinese advertisement]] In the United States and Canada, any casual sleeveless shirt can be called '''tank top'''{{Cite web |date=5 June 2023 |title=Tank Top |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/tank-top |url-status=live |access-date=5 June 2023 |website=Cambridge Dictionary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170603203113/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/tank-top |archive-date=Jun 3, 2017 }} or '''tank shirt''',{{Cite web |date=6 June 2023 |title=Trägershirt |url=https://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/deutsch-englisch/Tr%E4gershirt.html |access-date=6 June 2023 |website=Beolingus}} with several specific varieties. It is named after ''[[Maillot|tank suits]]'', one-piece bathing suits of the 1920s worn in tanks or swimming pools.{{cite web|title=definition of tank top by The Free Dictionary|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tank+top|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606033329/http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tank+top|archive-date=June 6, 2015|access-date=June 5, 2015|publisher=Farlex}} The upper garment is worn commonly by both men and women. The build of a tank top is simple: the neck and armholes are often reinforced for durability. They often have large armholes and neck holes, which may reach down as far as the bottom of the chest; particularly low armholes are referred to as "dropped armholes." Women's tank tops have smaller holes, to conceal their breasts. They are also sometimes made long to make tucking into pants easier. In almost all cases, they are buttonless, collarless, and pocketless. In the United States and Canada, any casual sleeveless shirt can be called '''tank top'''{{Cite web |date=5 June 2023 |title=Tank Top |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/tank-top |url-status=live |access-date=5 June 2023 |website=Cambridge Dictionary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170603203113/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/tank-top |archive-date=Jun 3, 2017 }} or '''tank shirt''',{{Cite web |date=6 June 2023 |title=Trägershirt |url=https://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/deutsch-englisch/Tr%E4gershirt.html |access-date=6 June 2023 |website=Beolingus}} with several specific varieties. The upper garment is worn commonly by both men and women. The build of a tank top is simple: the neck and armholes are often reinforced for durability. They often have large armholes and neck holes, which may reach down as far as the bottom of the chest; particularly low armholes are referred to as "dropped armholes." Women's tank tops have smaller holes, to conceal their breasts. They are also sometimes made long to make tucking into pants easier. In almost all cases, they are buttonless, collarless, and pocketless. A sleeveless T-shirt, also called a '''muscle shirt''', is the same design as a [[T-shirt]], but without sleeves.{{Cite web |date=6 June 2023 |title=muscle shirt |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muscle%20shirt |access-date=6 June 2023 |website=Merriam-Webster Dictionary}} Some sleeveless T-shirts, which possess smaller, narrower arm holes, are traditionally worn by both women and men. They are often worn during athletic activities or as casual wear during warmer weather. They were quite popular in the 1980s and were commonly associated with [[Surfing|surfers]] and [[Bodybuilding|bodybuilders]] (hence the name "muscle" shirt) and often bore the names and logos of gyms.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} Such shirts without logos are now more commonly worn as casual wear. A sleeveless T-shirt, also called a '''muscle shirt''', is the same design as a [[T-shirt]], but without sleeves.{{Cite web |date=6 June 2023 |title=muscle shirt |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muscle%20shirt |access-date=6 June 2023 |website=Merriam-Webster Dictionary}} Some sleeveless T-shirts, which possess smaller, narrower arm holes, are traditionally worn by both women and men. They are often worn during athletic activities or as casual wear during warmer weather. They were quite popular in the 1980s and were commonly associated with [[Surfing|surfers]] and [[Bodybuilding|bodybuilders]] (hence the name "muscle" shirt) and often bore the names and logos of gyms.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} Such shirts without logos are now more commonly worn as casual wear. ⚫ In addition to athletic usage, tank tops have traditionally been used as undershirts, especially with suits and dress shirts. They are sometimes worn alone without a dress shirt or top shirt during very warm and/or humid weather. Tank tops are often worn alone under very casual settings, as lounge wear, and/or while completing yard work or other chores around the home. Ribbed tank tops are also used for layering during colder weather. ⚫ In the UK, especially when used as an undershirt, it is known as a '''vest''' (compare the American usage of ''[[Waistcoat|vest]]'').{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=88101&dict=CALD|title=Cambridge Dictionaries Online – Cambridge University Press|access-date=19 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227075336/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=88101&dict=CALD|archive-date=27 December 2008|url-status=live}} It is called a '''singlet''' in Australia and New Zealand, and a '''banian''', '''banyan''' or '''ganji''' in the Indian subcontinent. A uniquely Australian variation is the "[[Jackie Howe]]", in particular referring to navy blue examples, named after the famous 19th century shearer of the same name, who according to legend was wearing one when he shore 321 sheep in a day with hand shears, a world record that still stands. In the Philippines, a sleeveless undershirt is called a sando. The tank top designed for a tight fit and often made of [[Ribbing (knitting)|ribbed]] [[cotton]] is also called an '''A-shirt''', short for '''athletic shirt'''. Other slang terms include '''wifebeater''', '''beater''', '''guinea tee''' or '''dago tee''' ([[List of ethnic slurs#G|''guinea'']] and [[List of ethnic slurs#D|''dago'']] being American [[ethnic slurs]] for people of [[Italian people|Italian]] ethnicity). The tank top designed for a tight fit and often made of [[Ribbing (knitting)|ribbed]] [[cotton]] is also called an '''A-shirt''', short for '''athletic shirt'''. Other slang terms include '''wifebeater''', '''beater''', '''guinea tee''' or '''dago tee''' ([[List of ethnic slurs#G|''guinea'']] and [[List of ethnic slurs#D|''dago'']] being American [[ethnic slurs]] for people of [[Italian people|Italian]] ethnicity). === Etymology === ⚫ In 2005, Paul Davidson, a filmmaker, made a blog post in which he claimed that the term "wifebeater" had evolved from a medieval [[chain mail]] undergarment called a "waif-beater", and this was picked up as fact by other outlets.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pauldavidson.net/post/words-for-i-your--i-enjoyment-wife-beaters|title=Words For Your Enjoyment: Wife Beaters|date=May 13, 2005|access-date=2026-06-08}}{{cite news |last1=Zimmer |first1=Ben |title=That Meme You're Sharing Is Probably Bogus |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/08/that-meme-youre-sharing-is-probably-bogus/566582/ |access-date=26 April 2022 |work=The Atlantic |date=2 August 2018 |language=en |archive-date=26 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426140421/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/08/that-meme-youre-sharing-is-probably-bogus/566582/ |url-status=live }} In the same blog post, he claimed that the term became synonymous with an undershirt after a Detroit man was reportedly arrested in 1947 for beating his wife to death. The story claims that newspapers printed a photo of the "[[Wife beater (abuser)|wife beater]]" wearing a stained undershirt. This claim was repeated by numerous outlets.{{Cite web|url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/how-the-wife-beater-tank-top-became-a-marker-of-class-ethnicity-and-domestic-abuse-2|title=The 'Wife Beater' Is More Than Just a Tank Top|date=May 22, 2018|website=MEL Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=April 9, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807100604/https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/how-the-wife-beater-tank-top-became-a-marker-of-class-ethnicity-and-domestic-abuse-2|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/e/take-off-wife-beater-put-tank/|title=Why Do We Call It A "Wife Beater" Shirt?|date=January 16, 2018|website=Dictionary.com|language=en-US|access-date=April 9, 2020|archive-date=May 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518224022/https://www.dictionary.com/e/take-off-wife-beater-put-tank/|url-status=live}} However, no evidence has been found in news archives to substantiate this rumor.{{Cite news|last=Velasquez-Manoff|first=Moises|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/opinion/are-we-really-still-calling-this-shirt-a-wife-beater.html|title=Opinion {{!}} Are We Really Still Calling This Shirt a 'Wife Beater'?|date=May 25, 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 9, 2020|archive-date=February 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212213041/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/opinion/are-we-really-still-calling-this-shirt-a-wife-beater.html|url-status=live}} Davidson openly admitted in 2018 that the blog post was a hoax, created to trick people who unquestioningly believed anything they read on the Internet.{{Cite web |last=Izzo |first=Jack |date=2023-10-15 |title=Why Are White Tank Tops Sometimes Called 'Wife-Beaters'? |url=https://www.snopes.com//articles/465371/wife-beater-tank-top-origin-of-phrase/ |access-date=2026-06-08 |website=Snopes |language=en}} The tank top is named after ''[[Maillot|tank suits]]'', one-piece bathing suits of the 1920s worn in tanks or swimming pools.{{cite web|title=definition of tank top by The Free Dictionary|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tank+top|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606033329/http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tank+top|archive-date=June 6, 2015|access-date=June 5, 2015|publisher=Farlex}} [[Marlon Brando]]'s abusive character in the 1951 movie "A Streetcar Named Desire" wore a dirty tank top to over-sexualize the character and draw connotations to wild animals. Other notable instances of using this costume choice to draw attention to a character's working-class or even criminal background include Warren Beatty in "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967), James Caan in "The Godfather" (1972) and Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky" (1976). One early reference to calling the tank top a "wife beater" is in a 1979 San Francisco Examiner article by John Van der Zee. In current usage the term "wife beater" is considered derogatory and heteronormative. ⚫ In the UK, especially when used as an undershirt, it is known as a '''vest''' (compare the American usage of ''[[Waistcoat|vest]]'').{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=88101&dict=CALD|title=Cambridge Dictionaries Online – Cambridge University Press|access-date=19 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227075336/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=88101&dict=CALD|archive-date=27 December 2008|url-status=live}} It is called a '''singlet''' in Australia and New Zealand, and a '''banian''', '''banyan''' or '''ganji''' in the Indian subcontinent. A uniquely Australian variation is the "[[Jackie Howe]]", in particular referring to navy blue examples, named after the famous 19th century shearer of the same name, who according to legend was wearing one when he shore 321 sheep in a day with hand shears, a world record that still stands. In the Philippines, a sleeveless undershirt is called a sando. ⚫ In 2005, Paul Davidson, a filmmaker, made a blog post in which he claimed that the term "wifebeater" had evolved from a medieval [[chain mail]] undergarment called a "waif-beater", and this was picked up as fact by other outlets.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pauldavidson.net/post/words-for-i-your--i-enjoyment-wife-beaters|title=Words For Your Enjoyment: Wife Beaters|date=May 13, 2005|access-date=2026-06-08}}{{cite news |last1=Zimmer |first1=Ben |title=That Meme You're Sharing Is Probably Bogus |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/08/that-meme-youre-sharing-is-probably-bogus/566582/ |access-date=26 April 2022 |work=The Atlantic |date=2 August 2018 |language=en |archive-date=26 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426140421/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/08/that-meme-youre-sharing-is-probably-bogus/566582/ |url-status=live }} In the same blog post, he claimed that the term became synonymous with an undershirt after a Detroit man was reportedly arrested in 1947 for beating his wife to death. The story claims that newspapers printed a photo of the "[[Wife beater (abuser)|wife beater]]" wearing a stained undershirt. This claim was repeated by numerous outlets.{{Cite web|url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/how-the-wife-beater-tank-top-became-a-marker-of-class-ethnicity-and-domestic-abuse-2|title=The 'Wife Beater' Is More Than Just a Tank Top|date=May 22, 2018|website=MEL Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=April 9, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807100604/https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/how-the-wife-beater-tank-top-became-a-marker-of-class-ethnicity-and-domestic-abuse-2|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/e/take-off-wife-beater-put-tank/|title=Why Do We Call It A "Wife Beater" Shirt?|date=January 16, 2018|website=Dictionary.com|language=en-US|access-date=April 9, 2020|archive-date=May 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518224022/https://www.dictionary.com/e/take-off-wife-beater-put-tank/|url-status=live}} However, no evidence has been found in news archives to substantiate this rumor.{{Cite news|last=Velasquez-Manoff|first=Moises|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/opinion/are-we-really-still-calling-this-shirt-a-wife-beater.html|title=Opinion {{!}} Are We Really Still Calling This Shirt a 'Wife Beater'?|date=May 25, 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 9, 2020|archive-date=February 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212213041/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/opinion/are-we-really-still-calling-this-shirt-a-wife-beater.html|url-status=live}} Davidson openly admitted in 2018 that the blog post was a hoax, created to trick people who unquestioningly believed anything they read on the Internet.{{Cite web |last=Izzo |first=Jack |date=2023-10-15 |title=Why Are White Tank Tops Sometimes Called 'Wife-Beaters'? |url=https://www.snopes.com//articles/465371/wife-beater-tank-top-origin-of-phrase/ |access-date=2026-06-08 |website=Snopes |language=en}} ⚫ In addition to athletic usage, tank tops have traditionally been used as undershirts, especially with suits and dress shirts. They are sometimes worn alone without a dress shirt or top shirt during very warm and/or humid weather. Tank tops are often worn alone under very casual settings, as lounge wear, and/or while completing yard work or other chores around the home. Ribbed tank tops are also used for layering during colder weather. ===Camisole=== ===Camisole===