Mae West

noun

1. an inflatable yellow or orange life jacket for emergency use, especially by sailors or by airplane pilots in flights over water.

mae west

/ meɪ /

noun

1. slang.
   an inflatable life jacket, esp as issued to the US armed forces for emergency use

West, Mae

1. A twentieth-century American actress. Mae West was a blonde, busty sex symbol, whose seductiveness was usually very funny because she overstated it so greatly. The popular version of her most celebrated line is, “Why don'cha come up and see me sometime?” She appeared memorably opposite W. C. Fields in My Little Chickadee .

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mae West¹

1935–40; after Mae West, full-bosomed U.S. comic actress

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mae West¹

C20: after Mae West, 1892–1980, American actress, renowned for her generous bust

Example Sentences

Over the past century, Pacific Dining Car was popular with celebrities such as Mae West and the gossip columnist Louella Parsons, while also serving as a backdrop in films, according to the restaurant’s website.

From Los Angeles Times

Here is a soft, peach-hued sofa conceived by the wunderkind Salvador Dalí and executed by the designer Jean-Michel Frank that mimics the lips of the saucy actress Mae West.

From New York Times

He chooses not to return and struggles to find a work in showbusiness, eventually launching his film career in a Mae West vehicle, “She Done Him Wrong.”

From Salon

Mae West, Richard Nixon and Liberace were in the audience on opening night.

From Los Angeles Times

Later, Hollywood's golden era saw the likes of Mae West, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis and Marilyn Monroe take the spotlight.

From BBC

Related Words

• life jacket
• life vest