abacost
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English
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Mobutu1.jpg/220px-Mobutu1.jpg)
Etymology
[edit]From French. A contraction of à bas le costume (“down with the western suit”)[1]
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]abacost (plural abacosts)
- (chiefly historical) A short- or long-sleeved button-up jacket, worn without a shirt, that was promoted in Zaire under the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko. [First attested in the late 20th century][1]
- 2005, Jeanne M. Haskin, The tragic state of the Congo: from decolonization to dictatorship, Algora, page 44:
- Wearing a collarless jacket called the abacost that reflected the style of chairman Mao, Mobutu outlawed the traditional suits and business dress of the West.
- 2006, Martin Meredith, Africa: from the hopes of freedom to the heart of despair, PublicAffairs, page 296:
- The abacost became Mobutu's personal trademark, […]
- 2007, Gemma Pitcher et al., Africa, 11th edition, Lonely Planet, page 562:
- [T]he new leader [Mobutu Sese Seko] embarked on a campaign of 'Africanisation', with […] suits giving way to the abacost (a Congolese version of the Mao jacket); […]
- 2007, Michael Powell, 101 People You Won't Meet in Heaven, Globe Pequot, page 206:
- [A]ll western clothing was banned—to be replaced by one-piece tunic called an abacost.
References
[edit]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “abacost”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 2.
Anagrams
[edit]French
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Contraction of the political slogan à bas le costume! (“down with the suit!”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]abacost m (plural abacosts)
- (Africa, chiefly historical) abacost
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- fr:Clothing