subs. (old).—1. A fellow; a party: spec. (modern) = a more or less precocious youngster (B. E., MARTIN, and GROSE); (2) a child, but see quot. 1664. Also SHAVELING and SHAVE, verb.
1586. MARLOWE, The Jew of Malta, iii. 3. Bar. Let me see, sirrah, are you not an old SHAVER? Slave. Alas, sir! I am a very youth.
1606. Wily Beguiled [HAWKINS, The Origin of the English Drama, III. 376]. If he had not been a merry SHAVER, I would never have had him.
1630. R. CRIMSALL, The Kind-Hearted Creature [Roxburghe Ballads (Brit. Mus.), iii. 166]. This bonny Lass had caught a clap it seemes by some young SHAUER.
1635. T. CRANLEY, Amanda.
| Thou art a Hackney that hast off beene tride, | |
| And art not coy to grant him such a favour | |
| To try the courage of so young a SHAVER. |
1654. WEBSTER, Appius and Virginia, ii. 2.
| Virginius. Was’t you, my nimble SHAVER, that would whet | |
| Your sword ’gainst your commander’s throat, you, sirrah? |
1655. History of Francion [NARES]. There were some cunning SHAVERS amongst us, who were very well verst in the art of picking locks.
1664. COTTON, Scarronides, or, Virgil Travestie (1st ed.), 62.
| And said, My Mother’s a mad SHAVER, | |
| No man alive knows where to have her. |
c. 1685. Broadside Ballad, ‘The London Lasses Folly’ [Pepys Ball. (Bodleian), iii. 236]. Now will I ramble up and down to find out this young SHAVER.
1698. FARQUHAR, Love and a Bottle, iii. 1. Who wou’d imagine now, that this young SHAVER cou’d dream of a woman so soon?
1748. SMOLLETT, Roderick Random, ix. He drew a pistol, and fired it at the unfortunate SHAVER, who fell flat on the ground without speaking one word.
d. 1796. BURNS, A Dream.
| And yet, wi’ funny, queer Sir John, | |
| He was an unco’ SHAVER, | |
| For monie a day. |
1834. SOUTHEY, The Doctor, cliv. No one has ever given him credit for being a cunning SHAVER!
1836. M. SCOTT, The Cruise of the Midge, 3. A sharpish sort of a SHAVER. Ibid., Tom Cringle’s Log (1836), x. A smart dandified SHAVER.
1837. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends (Aunt Fanny) (1862), 315.
| And all for a “Shrimp” not as high as my hat— | |
| A little contemptible “SHAVER” like that!! |
1843. DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit, xxxiii. 323. ‘Not these,’ he added, looking down upon the boys, ‘ain’t them two young SHAVERS as was so familiar to me.’
1854. WHYTE-MELVILLE, General Bounce, xiv. The very youngest of the SHAVELINGS who aspire to dandyism call him “Buttercup” to his face.
1858. G. ELIOT, Mr. Gilfil’s Love-Story, i. Mr. Gilfil called it his wonderful pocket, because, as he delighted to tell the “young SHAVERS” and “two-shoes”—so he called all little boys and girls—whenever he put pennies into it, they turned into sugar-plums or gingerbread, or some other nice thing.
1874. E. WOOD, Johnny Ludlow, 1 S. 25. The two children (little SHAVERS in petticoats) set up a roar in court at sight of the woman.
1889. Time, Aug., 153. The contemptible little SHAVER, however, was very anxious to be manly.
1893. P. H. EMERSON, Signor Lippo, xvi. Well to see this young SHAVER pilot your horse to the post was a treat.
2. (common).—A short jacket; a BUM-PERISHER (q.v.).
3. See SHAVE.
