Speedo
Speedo is an informal term used to describe the tighter, brief-shaped, swimwear, typically made from smooth and shiny artificial fibers, sometimes worn by boys and men, as opposed to long and (by comparison) baggy swimming shorts, made of duller material. Speedos take their name from the swimsuit brand Speedo.
Speedos are known in the United Kingdom as swim trunks/swimming trunks. In the United States they are also known as competition briefs, swim briefs, or racing briefs.
The fashionability of speedos varies greatly in different parts of the world. Especially in North America, more modest styles such as boardshorts are common, though swim teams and professional swimmers' tight-fitting suits are speedos or close to it. Speedos are worn routinely in many areas of Southern Europe by men young and old.
In North America young gay men traditionally wear speedos and often the actual Speedo brand. It is most unusual to see gay men at traditional gay resorts, pools or beaches wearing any other sort of swimwear, since it reveals well the male body (and boardshorts conceal it). At mixed venues, gay men use speedos as a convenient way to identify one another.
