[Ads-l] A-shirt

[Mark Mandel]

I was used to that term specifically for undershirts of that shape, as
opposed to T-shirts. I'm not sure, but that may have been back in the
sixties, in NYC. I haven't used it in quite a while except in my thoughts
while sorting the laundry, etc.

Mark



On Apr 9, 2017 12:22 PM, "James A. Landau" <JJJRLandau at netscape.com> wrote:

> In my local K-Mart I discovered a rack of "A-shirts", a term that is new
> to me but a quickie online search shows it has been around for a while.
> According to Wikipedia, the term is short for "athletic shirt" rather than
> being something in the shape of a letter A.
>
> It is a sleeveless, buttonless shirt with shoulder straps that leave most
> of the shoulders bare.  Sometimes known as a "tank top" (a term that in my
> experience refers only to women's clothing) or less politely "wife-beater".
>
> In the interests of inconsistency, the same K-mart does not apparently
> sell "T-shirts" but does sell
> 1.  "tees"---I don't know if this be the result of linguistic drift or a
> Madison Avenue brainstorm
> 2.  "crews" which I think refers to the neckline rather than the sleeves
> 3.  "t-shirts"---doesn't anyone realize that the shirt got its name from
> being shaped like a CAPITAL T?
>
> Off-topic:  an on-line article on US crude oil exports mentioned Curacao
> as being "in the Lessor Antilles".  Hmmm---a comment on US imperialism in
> the Caribbean?
>
> - Jim Landau
>
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