love handles

plural noun

1. Informal. bulges of fat at the sides of the waist.

love handles

plural noun

1. informal.
   folds of excess fat on either side of the waist

Word History and Origins

Origin of love handles¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

"They only gave me lipo in my stomach and my love handles and transferred it to my butt. I had to choose between a BBL or a tummy tuck," she recalled.

From Salon

And so, bulge by bulge, lump by lump, my body grew all the infamous mounds and blobs our culture likes to invent insulting nicknames for: a muffin top, moobs and — most especially — love handles.

From New York Times

So, the Emsculpt might tone the stomach around the belly button, but can’t address love handles or the back — so she uses the Vanquish in those spots.

From Seattle Times

A size “advantage,” especially at heavyweight – where anything goes above 200 pounds – sometimes just translates to leaden feet and love handles.

From The Guardian

So, no, the love handles you see on these pages, squishy as they are, don’t constitute a grand horror story, nor are they anything to be ashamed of.

From The Guardian