liberty bodice

plural liberty bodices

1. UKhistoricalA tight, sleeveless underbodice, originally as typically worn by children to allow for more freedom of movement than a corset.

   1 more example

   I am seized with an angry resentment against the conventions of twenty years ago, which wrapped up my comely adolescent body in woollen combinations, black cashmere stockings, “liberty” bodice, dark stockinette knickers, flannel petticoat and often, in addition, a long-sleeved, high-necked, knitted woollen “spencer”.

   1933, Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth, Penguin, published 2005, page 34

   Synonyms: emancipation waist