1768: Censoring 'Belly' Oct 17, 2019

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Following up on the term 'midriff' from yesterday, not only did the word 'riff' as 'stomach' not survive on its own, but even 'midriff' is something of a revived word. From the 18th century onwards, it fell into disuse, but was brought back in the 1940's as a way to avoid saying 'belly' in fashion. In those days though, it was supposed to mean 'the part of a garment which covers the midriff'; crop-tops weren't so popular back then. In fact, that word might sound innocent now, but in that time 'belly' was censored in films as well, so euphemisms were necessary.

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