Grecian bend

English

Etymology

It was thought to resemble the pose of the Venus de Milo, an Ancient Greek statue.

Noun

Grecian bend (plural Grecian bends)

1. (archaic, informal) Among women, an affected way to carry the body, the upper part being inclined forward.
2. (archaic, informal) An exaggerated bustle (frame worn underneath a woman's skirt), the effect of which is generally assisted by high-heeled boots.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “Grecian bend”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

References

• (bustle): 1873, John Camden Hotten, The Slang Dictionary

Anagrams

• race-bending, racebending