[f. STROP sb.]
1. trans. To sharpen or smooth the edge of (a razor) with a strop.
1841. Dickens, Barn. Rudge, xxv. The raven … after a long inspection of an epitaph, would strop his beak upon the grave to which it referred.
1850. Holtzapffel, Turning, III. 1155. The razor is always stropped backwards, and usually from heel to point.
1853. Lytton, My Novel, II. ix. ‘Well?’ cried the Squire, suspending the operation of stropping his razor.
2. Naut. To furnish (a block) with a strop. Cf. STRAP v.1 1.
c. 1860. H. Stuart, Seaman’s Catech., 29. How do you strop a block with a short splice?
Hence Stropped ppl. a. Stropping vbl. sb.: (a) the action of the verb; (b) concr. (Naut.) rope for making strops.
1850. Holtzapffel, Turning, III. 1156. A razor from continued use and stropping, has become dull.
1875. Bedford, Sailor’s Pocket Bk., x. (ed. 2), 362. Table of Size of Rope Stropping.
1882. Nares, Seamanship (ed. 6), 75. An iron-stropped block. Ibid., 81. The … blocks … are iron stropped.
1883. Fisheries Exhib. Catal., 8. Internal Iron Stropped: External Iron Stropped: Wire Stropped: Rope Stropped.
1893. Forbes-Mitchell, Remin. Gt. Mutiny, 287. As keen an edge as a well-stropped razor.
