dry shave
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A shave without soaping the face; to scrape the face with a piece of iron hoop; to scratch the face; to box it and bruise it.
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 “dry shave” mean?
A shave without soaping the face; to scrape the face with a piece of iron hoop; to scratch the face; to box it and bruise it.
Is “dry shave” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.