banana belt

noun

US, informal
: a warm region
usually used in an exaggerated or facetious way to refer a relatively warm area in a region known for its cold climate
… our last days on the peninsula (the arm of Antarctica that polar scientists disdain as the "Banana Belt") …Kate Ford, Wall Street Journal, 12 June 1998
Anything south of here is considered Oregon's banana belt—temperatures run higher than elsewhere on the Oregon coast.Jacques Von Lunen, Oregonian, 2 June 2009

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of banana belt was in 1873

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Dictionary Entries Near banana belt

Cite this Entry

“Banana belt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banana%20belt. Accessed 14 Dec. 2024.

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