Speedo

See also: speedo

English

Alternative forms

• speedo

Etymology

From the name of the swimsuit company, Speedo, which first designed and manufactured swimwear in Australia that was briefer and sleeker than most other swimwear then available.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːdəʊ

Noun

Speedo (plural Speedos)

1. (US) A tight-fitting swimsuit, especially commonly worn by competitive swimmers and divers. Usually implies a brief or bikini style swimsuit.

   I could tell that she was a serious swimmer, because every time I saw her at the pool she was wearing a Speedo of one design or another.

   • 2011, Gary Ghislain, How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend‎^[1], page 44:

     She's wearing Mom's teeny-weenie black Speedo bikini, the one Mom wears to show how fit and trim she is.

   • 1999, Cheryl Rilly, Great Moments In Sex, page 227:

     These muscle-bound hard bodies are wearing Speedo Lycra bikinis which stick to a man's body like a woman's wet T-shirt.

   • 2014, Norah McClintock, #3 Dead And Gone, page 12:

     There were dozens of girls in there - girls on the deck in bathing suits, most of them Speedos because they were racing.

   • 2016, John Early, Tales of a Modern Nomad: Monks Mushrooms and Other Misadventures, page 59:

     Ryan and I remain unmoved, standing at the edge of the water as five Speedo-clad lifeguards rush up to us.

2. (US) (by restriction) A male swimsuit, very tight fitting and small, brief-style, and not a thong-type.

   She called down from upstairs, "He'll be out in a minute: he's just putting his Speedo on."

Usage notes

In US English a Speedo is used for the singular. In Australian English, Speedos is used for both the singular and the plural.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:swim briefs

See also

• jockey shorts
• BVDs

Anagrams

• depose, epodes