Dictionary definition of “Costanza wallet”

Costanza wallet

n. a bulging, overstuffed billfold or wallet. Subjects: English, Slang

Etymological Note: After the character George Costanza in the the twelfth episode, The Reverse Peephole, of the ninth season of Seinfeld, which aired on January 15, 1998. In the episode he carries a huge wallet that gives him back problems.

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Citations: 1999 Usenet: alt.tv.seinfeld (Feb. 27) “Doonesbury wimps out”: This week’s color Doonesbury comic talks about the bankruptcy of the “J. Pretensions” catalogue company. I thought Garry Trudeau would have used the real name. The Costanza wallet for him. 2001 Jason Ankeny Upstart (Apr. 1) “500 words about a vendor” vol. 2, no. 4, p. 30: Eliminating the need for a George Costanza wallet bursting with credit cards, the Boca Raton, Fla.-based vendor’s virtual payment system instead consolidates all that plastic into users’ Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. 2006 ColoradoGuy.com (Buena Vista, Colorado) (July 25) “George Costanza Wallet Becoming A ‘Problem’ For Steve”: Along with it being old, filled with useless receipts and business cards of people he will likely never contact, Steve rarely carries cash in his “George Costanza wallet.” 2007 Chad Swiatecki Seattle Times (Washington) (Apr. 22) “Get rid of those aching ‘Costanza wallets’”: Talk to a sitcom fan about wallets bursting and most give the same reflexive response—"Costanza wallet,” coined for the “Seinfeld” television character George Costanza and his ridiculously jam-packed billfold.

Posted 23 Apr 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend