love handle en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
First appears c. 1970 in the publication Current Slang. So called because it is supposed to be grabbed by a partner during sexual intercourse.
Meanings
-
(colloquial, euphemistic, in-plural) A protruding area of fat on the side of the body, above the hips.
The good news. Three weeks into the programme I am rediscovering bits of my body I had forgotten existed; biceps, triceps, hamstrings and those funny muscles on the sides of the abdomen called obliques, the toning of which is supposed to eliminate the love handle.
2017 November 16, Jo Ellison, “Help: the gym has turned us into slobs”, in Financial Times, archived from the original on 10 Mar 2025:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| lovehandle | alternative | lexicographic | |
| love handles | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (22)
es flotador (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · es rollo (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · pl oponka (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · pl boczek (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · pt pneu (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · es michelín (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · es lorza (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · fr poignée d’amour (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · es llanta (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · hu úszógumi (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · es salvavida(s) (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · ms geleber pinggang (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · de Rettungsring (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · it maniglie di venere (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · sv bilring (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · it maniglie dell'amore (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · fi jenkkakahva (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · sv kärlekshandtag (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · cmn 腰間贅肉 /腰间赘肉 (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · fr bouée de sauvetage (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · no bilring (protruding area of fat on the side of the body) · es cartucheras (protruding area of fat on the side of the body)