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Glite Dictionary
spare tire

spare tire

3 4.9
Extra fat around the waist that looks like a round band
  • noun
  • /spɛr taɪər/
  • Offensive
translation icon : michelín
  • She placed a finger on his spare tire, the hint of a double chin, and the unnecessary inches vanished.
  • spare tire around my waist

Examples

  • Even though he was fit overall, there was still a small spare tire around his midsection.

  • I've carried a spare tire in my vehicle ever since I first started to drive over 50 years ago.

    Blog text (1)

  • The driver switched to the spare tire while Sarah attracted a large crowd of locals.

    Blog text (2)

  • After enjoying too many desserts, he started to notice a spare tire around his waist.

  • She laughed when her friend pointed out the spare tire he had developed over the holidays.

Synonyms

tummy
vsspare tire
  • Baby Talk
106 4.0

The stomach or belly, often the round front part of the body where food goes after you eat

is focused on excess fat around the waist rather than just the stomach
flab
vsspare tire
  • Informal
8 3.9

Soft loose fat on the body, often around the waist

is specific to excess fat encircling the waist rather than general soft fat
love handle
vsspare tire
  • Informal
7 3.9

A small roll of fat at the sides of the waist

is broader meaning a full band of excess fat around the waist
paunch
vsspare tire
5 7.0

A large belly that sticks out, often in a man

is a rounded band of excess fat around the waist rather than a full stomach
flubber
vsspare tire
  • Offensive
1 8.6

Soft, loose flesh on the body, often around the stomach

is about excess fat forming a circular band around the waist not general flabbiness

Antonyms

slimness
1 2.7

Being thin in a way that looks attractive

How Overweight

obesity
146 3.9
spare tire
  • Offensive
3 4.9

Surface Forms

spare tire singular
spare tires plural

Morphology

spare + tire

The phrase combines the literal senses 'spare' (an extra) and 'tire' (a wheel rubber) but the attested meaning is a metaphorical extension describing a ring of fat around the waist that resembles a spare car tire. This visual/metaphorical link is fairly easy for learners who know both words to infer from context, but it is not strictly compositional, so the expression is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Spare tire comes from the picture of a car's extra wheel, a spare tire, kept in the trunk. When a roll of fat circles the waist it looks like that wheel, so the phrase came to mean 'excess fat around the waist'.