half-shaved

George Thompson george.thompson at NYU.EDU
Tue Oct 13 00:52:07 UTC 2009


[a barber claims his razors are sharp enough to shave an angel]  We saw an angel half-shaved at a supper party last night -- but she had no razor, and the glass was not a mirror.
Morning Courier, July 23, 1828, p. 2, col. 1

OED (under "shaved", adj.) 2. U.S. slang. half shaved, partly intoxicated.

1834 Atlantic Club-book I. 138 (Farmer) When I met him, he was aboutyesjust about half shaved. 1836 HALIBURTON Clockm. Ser. I. xxii, When he was about half shaved he thought every body drunk but himself.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

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