barber's clerk
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
An overdressed shopboy who affects the airs and graces of a gentleman.
Register: derogatory, slang
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
an overdressed shopboy who apes the manners of, and tries to pass himself off as, a gentleman; a term of reproach applied not to an artisan but to one of those who, being below, assume airs of superiority over, handicraftsmen.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “barber's clerk” mean?
An overdressed shopboy who affects the airs and graces of a gentleman.
Is “barber's clerk” formal or informal?
barber's clerk is generally derogatory, slang.