Waistland

He put his arm around her waste.
Oh, I hope not.

You have such a tiny waste.
Um, thank you(?).

She had a thirty-inch waste.
No comment.

I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea. My point is, I see people use the word “waste” for “waist” all the time, and it sort of grosses me out. This is another thing that makes me want to poke my eyes out. Seriously, if you’re into putting your arm around people’s waste, I don’t want to know, and I don’t want to meet you. I certainly wouldn’t shake hands with you.

Apparently, there is a rather large segment of the English-speaking population that is completely unaware of the existence of the word “waist.” I always strive to do my part to beat back pernicious attacks on our language, so:

Waste is “material left over, rejected or thrown away” (i.e., trash), “material (as feces) produced but not used by a living organism” (i.e., poo), etc.

Waist is “the narrowed part of the body between the chest and hips.”

Remember, your belt goes around your waist, your arm goes around your date’s waist, and your waste gets flushed away.

Don’t make me poke my eyes out.

(Definitions taken from The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.)