[Ads-l] Mae West (life jacket)

[Peter Reitan]

For what it's worth, in 1937, an article by the North American Newspaper Alliance, appearing in the Tacoma Daily Ledger of April 19, 1937, page 3 (newspapers.com), lists the supposed measurements of more than 100 female celebrities.  Two were listed with the largest bust size on the list, of 38 inches, and two more with the second largest bust size - 37.5 inches.  Mae West is one of the top-four busts, listed with a bust of 37.5.  Listed at 5'4", 126 lbs, with measurements of 37.5-29.5-37.5.

Those measurements are consistent with a 1935 article, comparing Mae West's measurements to the Venus de Milo, Northern Star (Lismore, New South Wales Australia), January 29, 1935, page 4.

Venus de Milo, 5'4" tall, 34.5-28.5-36.
Mae West, 5"2" tall, 37.5-29.5-37.

Early references to the inflatable life-jacket/vest mostly credit RAF fliers with the nickname.  The earliest example I could find is from an English newspaper in March 1940.  Huddersfield Daily Examiner, March 6, 1940, page 4. Newspapers.com.  It does not give a reason.

Another early account suggests the reason for the name was their shape, not their sound. "Actually they are life jackets. They are rather plump in front and the boys call them their 'Mae Wests'  This started off as R.A.F. slang."
The Ottawa Journal, October 23, 1941, page 16.

As for whether "life vest" or "life jacket" would be more likely in British rhyming slang, a simple search for "life vest" in the United Kingdom, from the years 1940-1944, on Newspapers.com yielded 15 hits.  A similar search for "life jackets" yielded 953 hits.

Sometimes the simplest answer is the bust.



________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2024 12:16 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Mae West (life jacket)

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Subject:      Re: Mae West (life jacket)
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Rhyming slang for "life vest" is my guess.

Mae West was not especially busty.

JL

On Thu, Aug 15, 2024 at 2:45=E2=80=AFPM James Landau <
00000c13e57d49b8-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> two different etymologies for "Mae West" meaning life jacket:
>
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dyu9H0Hv4Ot4C&printsec=3Dfrontcover&dq=
=3Doperation+mincemeat&hl=3Den&newbks=3D1&newbks_redir=3D0&sa=3DX&ved=3D2ah=
UKEwjepPSm0PeHAxU0FFkFHSJ3IQIQ6AF6BAgMEAI#v=3Donepage&q=3Drhyming%20slang&f=
=3Dfalse
>
> Ben Macintyre _Operation Mincemeat_ New York: Harmony Books, 2010 ISBN
> 978-0-307-45327-3, page 168
> "The yellow military [life] jackets were known as "Mae Wests," from
> rhyming slang for "breasts."  When fully inflated, the rubber jacket gave
> the wearer a distinctly busty look reminiscent, if you happened to be a
> sex-starved soldier, of the curvaceous film star."
> Which etymology is correct, rhyming slang or the film star?
> James Landau
> jjjrlandau at netscape.com
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


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