▪ I. razor, n.
(ˈreɪzə(r))
Forms: α. 3–4 rasor, 4–7 rasour, (5 -owre, -owyr, 5–6 -oure, 6 Sc. -iour, 6–7 ra(y)sor, 7 rasoir); 6– razor, (6–8 -our). β. 4–7 rasure, (6 ray-). γ. 5–6 raser, (5 -ere, 6 -ier, -ar), 6–7 razer.
[a. OF. rasor, -our, -ur (12th c.), f. raser to rase v.1 Cf. OF. rasoir = It. rasojo:—late L. rasōrium.]
1. a. A sharp-edged instrument, specially used for shaving the beard or hair.
‘In modern razors the blade has usually a slight curve backwards, and is of wedge-shaped section, or has the back much thicker than the edge; the sides are often made concave by grinding (‘hollow-ground’). The blade is attached to the handle by a tang and rivet, so that it can be folded into this when not in use.’ N.E.D.
| α c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 98/222 Four ȝweles of Iren he let fullen with rasores, kene I-nowe. 1340 Ayenb. 66 Þe tonge more keruinde þanne rasour. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 325 For he dredde þe barbour to schave with rasoures ful soore. 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) iii. i. 50, I wol be vpon a pyler fitched ful of sharp keruyng rasours. 1555 Eden Decades 186 To annoynte the place with oyle and scrape it with a rasoure. 1655 Culpepper Riverius vi. vii. 144, I got ready my Raysor,..and there I made a deep incision. 1700 Dryden Pal. & Arc. 1629 This length of hair..Guiltless of steel and from the razour free. 1765 Foote Commissary i. Wks. 1799 II. 11 His little weezen face as sharp as a razor. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Ability Wks. (Bohn) II. 39 At..Sheffield, where I was shown the process of making a razor and a penknife. |
| β a 1340 Hampole Psalter li. 2 As sharpe rasure þou did treson. 1486 Bk. St. Albans A iv, Thou most cutt it with a Rasure. 1534 Whitinton Tullyes Offices ii. (1540) 82 The eldre Dyonisius..dreding Rasures dyd syndge his heere with a cole. 1570 Levins Manip. 192/29 A raysure, nouacula. 1576 Newton Lemnie's Complex. (1633) 240 He..with a Barbers Rasure finely cut away the Nose. |
| γ 1483 Caxton Cato C iv b, Doo so moche that thys nyght ye haue a rasere and..cutte the heeris of hys berde. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iii. xvii. 102 These..cause their hayre and beard to be cut with a raser. 1599 Ann. Barber-Surg. London (1890) 192 Grindeinge of rasares. |
b. fig. and in
fig. context.
Occam's (also Ockham's) razor, the leading principle of the nominalism of William of Occam (see
Occamism), that for purposes of explanation things not known to exist should not, unless it is absolutely necessary, be postulated as existing; usually called the Law of Parcimony.
on the razor's edge (after
Gr. ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ακµῆς), in a precarious position (
cf. razor-edge in 3 c).
| c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 198 Wyntris rasour doth al away arrace. 1594 Willobie in Shaks. C. Praise 7 The sharpe rasor of a willing conceit. c 1611 Chapman Iliad x. 150 Now on the eager razors edge, for life or death we stand. 1836–7 Sir W. Hamilton Metaph. xxxix. (1859) II. 395 We are, therefore, entitled to apply Occam's razor to this theory of causality. 1879 Browning Pheidippides 86 Here am I back..we stand no more on the razor's edge! 1901 T. C. Allbutt Science & Medieval Thought 57 Now this scientific economy, perhaps first formulated, or effectively used, by William Ockham, in the phrase ‘entia non sunt multiplicanda’—known as ‘Ockham's rasor’—is what is called now-a-days ‘materialism’. 1907 Ld. Curzon Frontiers 7 Frontiers are indeed the razor's edge on which hang suspended the modern issues of war or peace, of life or death to nations. 1936 J. Buchan Island of Sheep xii. 235 In the Norlands life had always been on a razor's edge. 1944 W. S. Maugham (title) The razor's edge. 1960 A. Huxley Let. 17 July (1969) 894 Perhaps Ockham's razor isn't a valid scientific principle. Perhaps entities sometimes ought to be multiplied beyond the point of the simplest possible explanation. For the world is doubtless far odder and more complex than we ordinarily think. 1976 A. White Long Silence vi. 49 He was living on a razor's edge. Sooner or later, the Germans were going to begin to suspect. 1977 M. Goulder in J. Hick Myth of God Incarnate iii. 60 Natural explanations, where they are at all plausible, are surely to be preferred on the basis of Occam's razor. |
† c. transf. The tusk of a boar (Phillips 1706).
2. † a. Applied to certain fishes:
cf. razorfish 2.
Obs. rare.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 424/1 Rasowre, fysche, rasorius. 1530 Palsgr. 261/1 Rasour a fysshe. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 428 There is a fish called a Rasoir: looke whatsoever toucheth it, senteth presently of Yron. |
b. = razor-fish 1,
razor-shell.
| 1610 J. Guillim Heraldry iii. xxiii. (1611) 170 The rest of the crusted sort of fishes I will passe ouer viz. Crabs, Lobsters, Creuisses, Cuttles, Razers, Shrimpes &c. 1805 Barry Orkney Isl. 287 The Razor..or, as we name it, the spout-fish, is also found in sandy places. 1869 Wood Com. Shells (ed. 3) 32 The common species, the Sabre Razor (Solen ensis)..another species the Pod Razor (Solen siliqua). Ibid. 34 It would scarcely be recognized as belonging to the Razors. |
3. attrib. and
Comb. a. With
ns., as
razor blade,
razor case,
razor handle,
razor hone,
razor knife,
razor-maker,
razor mettle,
razor-seller,
razor sheath,
razor strop,
razor-stropping,
razor wit.
| 1846 Holtzapffel Turning III. 1051 The *razor blade is polished on a soft buff wheel fed with dry crocus. 1936 Discovery Aug. 255/1 Glass razor blades can be ground to powder under foot when used. 1945 ‘G. Orwell’ Animal Farm viii. 64 Making cocks fight with splinters of razor-blade tied to their spurs. 1977 Jersey Even. Post 26 July 18/3 Also reported stolen is a silver razor-blade-shaped pendant. |
| 1688 Lond. Gaz. No. 2410/4 A black Velvet embroidered *Rasor Case, with 3 or 4 Rasors. 1833 Macaulay in Trevelyan Life & Lett. (1880) I. 323, I have bought a new..razor-case. |
| 1846 Holtzapffel Turning III. 1069 Two *razor handles or scales are..held at the one end in a pair of clamps. |
| Ibid. 1066 [The] German *Razor Hone..is universally known throughout Europe. |
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 187 In his hond a *rasour knif He bar, with which hire throte he cutte. 1865 Lubbock Preh. Times 20 A razor-knife said to have been found together with objects of the latter metal. |
| 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. No. 3. 56 *Razor-makers generally clap a small Bar of Venice Steel between two small Bars of Flemish Steel. 1767 S. Paterson Another Trav. I. 416 An infinite number of..jack-smiths and razor-makers. |
| 1679 J. Goodman Penit. Pardoned iii. i. (1713) 264 Great wits and curious tempers are like *razor-mettle quickly turned. |
| 1782 Wolcott (P. Pindar) (title) The *Razor Seller. |
| 1812 W. Dooley in Examiner 31 Aug. 552/1 A *razor-sheath was found. |
| 1759 Newport (Rhode Island) Mercury 26 June 4/3 Hones, *Razor-strops &c. 1822 Gill's Techn. Repos. III. 42 On Improved Razors and Razor-Strops. 1866 Harper's Mag. Nov. 788/2 Packwood, some fifty years ago, led the way in England of..systematic advertising, by impressing his razor-strop indelibly on the mind of every bearded member of the kingdom. 1946 G. Millar Horned Pigeon i. 1, I only heard the noise of a man's razor strop. |
| 1815 Simond Tour Gt. Brit. II. 278 He gave me a lesson of *razor-stropping. |
| 1786 Wolcott (P. Pindar) Ep. Boswell Wks. 1816 I. 246 No *Razor-wit, for want of use, grows rusty. |
b. With
adjs., as
razor-bladed,
razor-bowed,
razor-edged,
razor-leaved,
razor-shaped,
razor-tongued,
razor-weaponed;
razor-keen,
razor-sharp,
razor-thin;
razor-like.
| 1765 Ann. Reg. 215 The two boys had found a *razor bladed clasp knife. |
| 1885 Royal River xii. 338 The *razor bowed craft move slowly out. |
| 1807–8 W. Irving Salmag. (1824) 128 The *razor-edged zephyrs of our ‘balmy spring’. 1831 J. W. Croker in C. Papers (1884) II. xvi. 143 Warburton has given us razor-edged disquisitions, fine and false. 1972 K. Bonfiglioli Don't point that Thing at Me xiii. 98 Even the shadows, razor-edged, purple and green, were painful to look at. |
| 1955 Times 11 May 14/6 Political interest is *razor keen. 1978 Detroit Free Press 5 Mar. (Parade Suppl.) 14d/1 (Advt.), With special Holder hands never come near razor-keen stainless steel blades. |
| 1878 T. Hardy Ret. Native ii. iv, Urns..used as flower⁓pots for two *razor-leaved cactuses. |
| 1842 Poe in Gift 148 The *razor-like crescent. 1977 Rolling Stone 19 May 93/2 The sultry title cut, with its razorlike clarion guitar lead. |
| 1829 P. Egan Boxiana 2nd Ser. II. 299 He had now not the slightest chance with Curtis, who..drew streams of blood from his *razor-shaped nose, and knocked him down. 1897 M. Kingsley W. Africa 236 Small black and white birds..with heavy razor-shaped bills. |
| 1921 R. Hichens Spirit of Time v. 80 Something of it he must have seen—but what?.. The suggestion of a *razor-sharp silhouette? 1975 J. Grady Shadow of Condor viii. 132 She carried..a flat, thinly sheathed razor-sharp knife taped to her stomach. 1979 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 25 Oct. 48/1 (Advt.), A witty, razor-sharp satire on monogamy. |
| 1971 C. Bonington Annapurna South Face viii. 95, I..peered over the top, to see that the ridge was now *razor-thin and looked even more difficult beyond the point I had reached. 1973 P. Evans Bodyguard Man viii. 64 He cut razor-thin slices through the most congested areas of traffic. |
| 1873 O. W. Holmes Rhymes of an Hour i, The saucy-aproned, *razor-tongued soubrette. |
| 1828 Southey Let. to A. Cunningham, When at the looking-glass with lather'd chin, And *razor-weapon'd hand I sit. |
c. Special combs., as
razor-bridge, the bridge
Al Sirāt, believed by Muslims to lead over hell;
† razor-chirurgeon, a barber-surgeon;
razor clam (
U.S.)
= razor-shell,
razor-fish 1;
razor-cut v. trans., to cut (hair, etc.) with a razor; also
fig.; hence as
n., a haircut effected with a razor instead of scissors; also as
ppl. a.;
razor-cutting vbl. n.;
razor-edge, a keen edge,
fig. a narrow foothold, a critical situation (
cf. razor's edge in 1 b); also
attrib.;
razor gang, (
a) a gang of thugs armed with razors; (
b)
Railway slang (see
quots. 1966 and 1970);
razor-grass, a West Indian sedge belonging to the genus
Scleria,
esp. S. pterota, which has sharp-edged leaves;
razor-man, a thug armed with a razor;
razor-paper, paper specially made for sharpening razors on (Knight 1875);
razor-paste, a paste of emery- or crocus-powder for improving razor-strops;
razor plug,
point, a power-point for plugging in an electric razor;
razor-slasher, one who slashes another (
usu. across the face) with a razor; a member of a razor gang; hence
razor-slash v. trans. [back-formation], to slash with a razor; also as
n., the action of lacerating thus; a wound so made;
razor-slashing vbl. n.;
razor strop fungus, the birch polypore,
Piptoporus betulinus;
razor toe, a pointed toe on a shoe; an (outmoded style of) shoe with a razor toe.
| 1812 Sir R. Wilson Diary in Life I. 380 The paths..almost realize the perils of the *razor-bridge of Mahomet. |
| 1624 Gee Foot out of Snare X 2 b, The *Rasor-Chirurgions, very many of them Popish. |
| 1882 Simmonds Dict. Usef. Anim., Razor Fish, in America Solen ensis is called the *razor clam. 1935 J. C. Lincoln Cape Cod Yesterdays 48 The dictionary..even mentions the ‘razor clam’ among them. 1960 M. Sharcott Place of Many Winds ix. 162 Commercial crab fishermen often use clams, particularly razor clams, as bait. |
| 1964 F. Warner Early Poems 77 Cruelty *razor-cut my arteries. 1965 Family Circle Oct. 60 Hair as dark as this ideally goes into a sleek and sophisticated styling of the very short tapered razor cut. 1969 J. N. Smith Is he dead, Miss ffinch? vi. 27 I'd had time for a hair-do..a razor-cut, tapered down to the neck. 1971 R. Falkirk Chill Factor vi. 57 His hair was razor-cut. 1974 R. B. Parker God save Child (1975) iv. 33 He was dark-skinned with longish black hair carefully layered with a razor cut. 1976 Scott & Koski Walk-In (1977) xii. 66 Their hair was razor cut to just above the collar line. |
| 1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 197 *Razor cutting became popular in the 1950s, first in men's barber shops and later in women's hairdressers. The use of a razor means that the hair can be layered and thinned when wet and shaped more effectively. 1977 Oxford Consumer June 6/1 Razor cutting is now a rarity,..and only 7 people had had a perm recently. |
| 1687 Dryden Hind & P. iii. 688 You have ground the persecuting knife And set it to a *razor edge on life. 1861 Sat. Rev. 7 Sept. 238 On the closest verge of destruction,..on the very razor-edge of fate. 1877 E. Caird Philos. Kant ii. xix. 664 Kant is solicitous to maintain himself on the exact razor-edge of critical orthodoxy. 1927 D. H. Lawrence Mornings in Mexico 61 The instant moment is forever keen with a razor-edge of oblivion. 1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? iii. 49 With one razor-edge phrase he had cut me down to his level. 1962 H. O. Beecheno Introd. Business Stud. i. 7 Ours is a razor-edge economy and maintaining our balance of payments..becomes a matter of overriding importance. 1976 ‘A. York’ Dark Passage xiii. 152 His finances..were in a razor edge state... He lived like a millionaire,..but there was no cash around. |
| 1957 Essays in Criticism VII. 311, I suppose that Mr. Conquest would not consider deliverance from the caprice of motorists, or even of wide boys and *razor gangs, altogether undesirable for the free mind. 1966 H. Sheppard Dict. Railway Slang (ed. 2) 10 Razor gang, economy men from Headquarters. 1970 F. McKenna Gloss. Railwaymen's Talk 38 Razor gang, an investigating committee, searching rosters and rotas for ‘unproductive time’. 1977 Times 4 May 10/6 There were razor gangs on our race-courses. |
| 1864 A. H. R. Grisebach Flora Brit. W. Indian Islands 787 *Razor-grass: Scleria scindens. 1871 C. Kingsley At Last viii, Yonder beautiful green pest,..namely, a tangle of Razor-grass. 1879 Baron Eggers Flora St. Croix 109 Razor-grass. 1922 Blackw. Mag. July 11/1 The great sweep of razor-grass rustled golden. 1954 Farmer's Guide (Jamaica Agric. Soc.) 587 Razor-grass... At least nine different kinds of Scleria occur in Jamaica, and all of them can be unpleasant weeds due to the cutting edges of the leaves. 1969 S. M. Sadeek Windswept & Other Stories 29 The cart rolled on..into the savannah of..beezie-beezie reeds and razor-grass. |
| 1958 New Statesman 5 Apr. 436/3 The *razor-men arrive at his door. 1977 E. W. Hildick Loop vii. 36 Noah..was..a ‘painter’ or razorman with some northern racetrack gang. |
| 1851 Mayhew Lond. Labour I. 429/2 Of the Street-Sellers of..*Razor Paste. |
| 1961 Times 26 May 9/6 Putting *razor plugs in the bathrooms. |
| 1969 C. Hodder-Williams 98.4 i. 7 There was a *razor point so I went out to the car and fetched my shaver. 1978 Cornish Guardian 27 Apr. 15/1 (Advt.), 21 letting bedrooms (basins, razor points). |
| 1958 M. Procter Man in Ambush xiv. 162 This girl had reason to be afraid. She had been *razor-slashed once. 1959 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 292 In the worst of perversion, promiscuity, pimpery,..rape, razor-slash, bottle-break.., the Negro discovered a morality of the bottom. 1963 T. Tullett Inside Interpol. xi. 160 A razor-slash across the face. 1976 R. Hill Another Death in Venice i. iii. 55 Dunkerley the pimp, razor-slashing young prostitutes who wouldn't pay. 1980 P. Ableman Shoestring's Finest Hour ii. 30 The pimp..is called..Ted the Slash because he's got a razor slash on his cheek. |
| 1951 S. Spender World within World iv. 213 Some of the recruits turned out to be a gang of Glasgow *razor-slashers. 1961 John o'London's 6 July 24/2 Greene's slum Faust was articulate in a way unlikely in the most intelligent razor-slasher. |
| 1938 F. D. Sharpe Sharpe of Flying Squad xix. 204 Warfare between the gangs was confined to individual beatings-up and *razor-slashings. 1979 W. J. Fishman Streets of E. London 106/2 His face..resembling the cross lines of a railway complex as a result of razor slashing. |
| 1923 J. Ramsbottom Handbk. Larger Brit. Fungi 129 The name ‘*razor-strop fungus’ is often given to P[olyporus] betulinus, as up till the early part of last century it was used for making strops. 1966 F. H. Brightman Oxf. Bk. Flowerless Plants 116/2 Piptoporus betulinus..has also been recommended for stropping razors, and is sometimes referred to in books as the ‘Razor Strop Fungus’. |
| 1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 509/1 The *Razor Toe... This style shoe is becoming very popular on account of the long narrow toe, and patent tip. 1897 C. T. Davis Manuf. Leather (ed. 2) xxii. 303 The pedestrian or runner avoids ‘razor toes’. |
▪ II. razor, v. (
ˈreɪzə(r))
[f. prec.] a. trans. To shave as with a razor; to cut
down. Also, to cut
out (with a razor blade); to shave
away,
off.
| 1827 Pollok Course T. vii. (1860) 182 Upon the head that time had razored bare Rose bushy locks. 1872 De Morgan Budget of Paradoxes 337 He has announced his intention of bringing me..4159265..razored down to 25. 1974 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 24 July 5/1 Articles taken out of magazines in the libraries..‘I'll just say they were razored out. Definitely.’ 1975 M. Kenyon Mr Big xviii. 175 He..had razored off the moustache. 1977 D. Seaman Committee 42 A roughness on the chin each morning that had to be razored away. |
b. To slash or assault with a razor.
| 1937 E. Ambler Uncommon Danger viii. 110 By the time I'd finished with the beggar he would have..razored his own father and mother if I'd told him to. 1954 ‘N. Blake’ Whisper in Gloom vii. 91 They might..terrorise a suspected informer—beat him up or razor him. |
Hence
ˈrazoring vbl. n.| 1950 W. Sansom in Penguin New Writing XL. 44 It was not the kind of shop one would have expected of Sally—and perhaps this proved a key to the outcome of that night's razoring. 1963 Times 5 June 16/1 Mr. C. Lindsay, for the defence, said Osborne had been afraid of possible razoring by the barons over a debt of {pstlg}1 and four or five ounces of tobacco. |