4. To skim along or near the surface of; to pass close to, or touch lightly, in passing. Now shaves with level wing the deep. Milton.
5. To strip; to plunder; to fleece. [Colloq.] To shave a note, to buy it at a discount greater than the legal rate of interest, or to deduct in discounting it more than the legal rate allows. [Cant, U.S.]
SHAVE
Shave, v. i.
Defn: To use a razor for removing the beard; to cut closely; hence, to be hard and severe in a bargain; to practice extortion; to cheat.
SHAVE Shave, n. Etym: [AS. scafa, sceafa, a sort of knife. See Shave, v. t.]
1. A thin slice; a shaving. Wright.
2. A cutting of the beard; the operation of shaving.
3. (a) An exorbitant discount on a note. [Cant, U.S.] (b) 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. [Cant, U.S.] N. Biddle.
4. A hand tool consisting of a sharp blade with a handle at each end; a drawing knife; a spokeshave.
5. The act of passing very near to, so as almost to graze; as, the bullet missed by a close shave. [Colloq.] Shave grass (Bot.), the scouring rush. See the Note under Equisetum. — Shave hook, a tool for scraping metals, consisting of a sharp- edged triangular steel plate attached to a shank and handle.