Crossword Dictionary
singlet
singlet, vest, undershirt - n
a collarless men's undergarment for the upper part of the body
The tank top designed for a tight fit and often made of ribbed cotton is also called a wifebeater, beater, or A-shirt, or historically a guinea tee, or dago tee (guinea and dago being American ethnic slurs for people of Italian ethnicity). The term wifebeater reportedly became synonymous for an undershirt after a 1947 criminal case when a Detroit man was arrested for beating his wife to death. News outlets are alleged to have printed a photo of him in a stained undershirt and referred to him as "the wife beater."
In the UK, especially when used as an undershirt, it is known as a vest (compare the American usage of vest). It is called a singlet in Australia and New Zealand, and a banian or banyan in the Indian Subcontinent.
In addition to athletic usage, tank tops have traditionally been used as undershirts, especially with suits and dress shirts. They are sometimes worn alone without a dress shirt or top shirt during very warm and/or humid weather. Tank tops are often worn alone under very casual settings, as lounge wear, and/or while completing yard work or other chores around the home.