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Glite Dictionary
pin-up art

pin-up art

7.5
Pictures of women posed in an attractive, old-fashioned style
  • noun
  • /ˈpɪnˌʌp ɑrt/
  • NSFW
translation icon : arte pin-up
  • She collected vintage pin-up art that showcased the glamour of the past.

Examples

  • The walls of the diner were adorned with vibrant pin-up art from the 1950s.

  • You combine pin up art with sneaker culture.

  • The exhibition featured stunning pin-up art that celebrated feminine beauty and nostalgia.

Synonyms

pin-up
vspin-up art
  • NSFW
7.5

A picture of an attractive person or the person shown

focuses on artworks of nostalgic mid twentieth century glamorous model poses

Surface Forms

pin-up art singular
pin-up arts plural

Morphology

pin-up + art

The head noun 'art' is transparent, but the key element 'pin-up' is a lexicalized cultural term meaning glamour/poster images of models and is not directly inferable from the literal words 'pin' + 'up' by a B1 learner. A learner might guess something 'pinned up' (e.g., a poster) but would not reliably derive the stylistic/sexualized sense without prior exposure, so the overall MWE is only partially predictable.

Etymology

The noun pin-up art comes from small pictures people used to pin up on walls and lockers, especially during the war. Those pictures were often of glamorous women meant to cheer people, so the term now means art showing posed, stylish models.