court plaster
Preserved but no longer current.
The plaster of which the court ladies made their patches. These patches, worn on the face, were cut into all sorts of fanciful shapes, some even patching their faces with a coach and four, a ship in full sail, a chateau, etc. This ridiculous fashion was in vogue in the reign of Charles I; and in Queen Anne's time was employed as a political badge.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “court plaster” mean?
The plaster of which the court ladies made their patches. These patches, worn on the face, were cut into all sorts of fanciful shapes, some even patching their faces with a coach and four, a ship in full sail, a chateau, etc. This ridiculous fashion was in vogue in the reign of Charles I; and in Queen Anne's time was employed as a political badge.
Is “court plaster” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.