mess jacket

American  

noun

1. a short, tailless jacket extending to just below the waist, used for semiformal military occasions and now especially as part of the uniform of waiters, bellhops, etc.

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mess jacket British  

noun

1. a waist-length jacket tapering to a point at the back, worn by officers in the mess for formal dinners

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Etymology

Origin of mess jacket

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Soon they came back, Mr Osbourne and Mr Stevenson wearing the form of dress most usual in that hot climate a white mess jacket, and white trousers, but their feet were still bare. 

From Robert Louis Stevenson: a record, an estimate, and a memorial by Japp, Alexander H. (Alexander Hay)

Of course, you have not got your full kit yet; but you will want a mess jacket and waistcoat.

From At the Point of the Bayonet A Tale of the Mahratta War by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

One was a short, thick man in a gold-laced mess jacket, who fixed his eyes sternly on Flinders, and at once demanded his passport and commission.

From The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders by Scott, Ernest

Put on a mess jacket and that sort of thing—easy dress.

From Kipps The Story of a Simple Soul by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

Soon they came back, Mr. Osborne and Mr. Stevenson wearing the form of dress most usual in that hot climate, a white mess jacket, and white trousers, but their feet were still bare.

From Stevenson's Shrine The Record of a Pilgrimage by Stubbs, Laura