Bikini (June 1947)

[Dave Wilton]

The OED has an August 1947 for a citation in French and 1948 for English.

>From the Syracuse Herald Journal (New York) of 22 June 1947:

First came the famous Bikini model, consisting of three small triangles of
cloth.

>From the Nevada State Journal, 23 November 1947:

Nobody knows why the word Bikini has become the synonym for small and
little...The French double-piece bathing suits, consisting of a G-string and
another tiny piece for the upper part of the body, are called Bikini. If you
want a demi-tasse of ersatz coffee you ask for a Bikini...When the piece of
meat you get in a restaurant is exceptionally small you complain that it "is
too Bikini."

--Dave Wilton
  dave at wilton.net

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