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barber n O Sup2 ~ sb 1 c (1830-) for sense 2; DC n 1,
2 obs (1829-1869). See also LUBBOCK 325 (1836 Hull quot).
1
Cold mist or vapour arising from the sea on a frosty day; frost-smoke.
1836 [WIX]2 60 There was a great deal of thin slob ice,
and the 'barber' vapor was very cutting. 'Barber' [is] a vapour of ice particles,
occasioned by the temperature of the water being much warmer than the air, the caloric
escaping from it forms a congealed atmosphere. 1896 Dial Notes i, 377 ~ the vapor
rising from the water on a frosty day. 1937 DEVINE 7 ~ White fume or smoke arising from
the surface of the water of the Harbour or the Bay, on a very frosty day in Winter after
sunrise. P 112-57 ~ vapour off water in early morning after a cold night.
2 A sharp, stinging wind.
1879 TUCKER
62 During the heavy gales of last week people were afraid to put their faces out of their
dwellings—and the Newfoundland 'barber' was never so severe. 1895 J A
Folklore viii, 37 A very sharp, cutting wind driving small particles of ice, which
strike the face in a painful manner, is expressively called a barber.
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