bust improver

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English

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Noun

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bust improver (plural bust improvers)

  1. (historical) A late Victorian and Edwardian-era woman’s undergarment providing padding for the breasts.
    • 1899, Vincent O’Sullivan, “Same”, in The Green Window[1], London: Leonard Smithers, page 14:
      The advertisement which I see most often, whether it be of a perfume which I never use, or of a lady’s “bust-improver” which is no concern of mine, is the one which sticks in my memory.
    • 1913, Katherine Mansfield, “Bains Turcs”, in The Blue Review, volume I, number 3, page 181:
      I walked along a tiled corridor decorated with advertisements for lingerie and bust improvers—was allotted a tiny cabin and a blue print chemise and told to undress and find the Warm Room as soon as possible.