Water wings are inflated floats worn by a learner. Blow up the water wings.
They hold a child upright in a position that is nothing like swimming. Water wings are out of favour with teachers for exactly that reason.
1nounwater wingsInflated floats worn by a learner.
“The water wings came off in the second lesson.”
water wings is equipment.
water wing comes from water + wing. Compare German Schwimmflügel (“water wing”) literally “swim-wing”.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Swimming & Diving