The front lights of a vehicle used for illumination while driving.
Compound of 'head' (front part) + 'lights', emerging with the advent of automobiles in the early 20th century. The term reflects the anthropomorphic way we think about vehicles, giving them 'heads' with 'eyes' that light the way.
Headlights show how we unconsciously treat cars like living beings - we give them heads, eyes, and even personalities based on how their 'faces' look. This anthropomorphism is so deep that we immediately understand expressions like 'deer in the headlights' without thinking about how strange it is to describe panic using car anatomy.
Headlights (slang for breasts) is a dehumanizing term born from automotive analogy. The metaphor encodes women as objects with parts/features rather than agents, enabling sexual objectification in casual speech.
Avoid the slang in all professional/mixed contexts. Refer to anatomy clinically when necessary ('breasts,' 'chest') or recognize the term as objectifying humor.
["breasts","chest"]
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