FANNY PACK

noun Also written fannypack (Lifestyle and Leisure) The US slang name for a bum-bag. Etymology: Formed by compounding; in US slang, fanny is the equivalent of British slang bum and has none of the sexual connotations of the British English fanny. History and Usage: Fanny pack has a similar history in US English to that of bum-bag in British English, arising as long as twenty years ago as a term used by skiers, motorcyclists, etc. (sometimes with variations on the name, such as fanny bag or fanny belt) and moving into the more general vocabulary when the idea was taken up by the fashion world in the late eighties. As a fashion accessory in the US, the fanny pack has also been called a belly-bag, reflecting the fact that it is worn at the front rather than the back (see bum-bag) or belt bag, avoiding all reference to human anatomy. I've hurt myself and my cameras numerous times...but I've never had a problem, even doing an eggbeater at full speed, with my gear tucked away inside a fannypack. Sierra Jan.-Feb. 1985, p. 45 Christin Ranger...says her company put out six versions this year (compared with only two last year), including larger fanny packs that hold lunches or tennis shoes and front-loaders with just enough room for a wallet. Newsweek 5 Dec. 1988, p. 81