shaves

Noun

shave (plural shaves)

1. An instance of shaving.
   • I instructed the barber to give me a shave.
2. A thin slice; a shaving.
   • a jolly mealy 'tator, with a shave of butter, and a shake of pepper1859, Guillaume Sulpice Chevallier, Albert Richard Smith, Sketches of London life & character
3. (US, dated, slang) An exorbitant discount on a note.
   • yea, tis knowable that the paper money of some of them would not pass, comparatively speaking, much, if any, beyond the smoke of the chimney from whence 'twas issued and circulated before you, or those who had it would have to take a broker's shave on it , at the rate of from a ¼, to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...1838, Levin Lawrence, No. I. of a series of Letters addressed to N. Biddle, page 13
4. (US, dated, slang) A premium paid for an extension of the time of delivery or payment, or for the right to vary a stock contract in any particular.
   • If this were a dishonest transaction, why did the companies settle? If it were not, why did the heirs submit to a shave of one-half their claims?1874, The Insurance Journal: A Review of Fire and Life Insurance
5. A hand tool, mainly for woodworking, consisting of a sharp blade with a handle at each end.
6. (informal) A narrow miss or escape; a close shave.
   • "[…] I had an awful shave getting into the harbour," remarked Archie.1919, Edward Frederic Benson, Across the Stream

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