Glossary

From ShaveWiki

Here is a list of words and phrases used on B&B where the meaning might not always be immediately obvious. Also see the B&B abbreviations and acronyms page.

From left to right: The first and third brush are three-band, the second and fourth are two-band

Band/2-band/3-band/etc

The term "band" in brushes refers to the horizontal bands of colours in the higher-grade badger brushes. A three-band brush will be light on top, have a dark band in the middle and then light at the base of the loft, while a two-band brush will just have a light top and a dark bottom part.

Blade Buffing

Quickly moving the razor/razor blade back and forth over a piece of skin, this is also sometimes called "scrubbing". The technique is used to clean up stubborn stubble not removed after the normal shaving passes have been made. Video showing the technique (starts at 2:10)

BlakeFlood

see ChipRoll.

Brassing

When the plating (nickel, chrome, or gold, e.g.) of a safety razor is worn away so that the base metal (usually brass) shows.

Bump/Bumping

A bump is a post in a thread on a forum meant only to move the thread to the top of the list. This happens almost exclusively in the Buy/Sell/Trade forums. Some users report a "backronym" for bump: "Bring Up My Post."

Chipology

The study of all things involving or related to Chip, Chiproll, or Limecat.

ChipRoll

Taken from the internet bait-and-switch meme/phenomenon of the "RickRoll", whereby one advertises a hyperlink or embedded video as having a given content, but where the link actually points to a video of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." On B&B, one might advertise a link to a specific post, but instead the link points here, to one of RabidPotatoChip's (thus the "Chip"; also known as "LimeCat" from his avatar) browser-choking posts.

Corking

Taking a DE blade and pulling the edges through a cork (for instance from a wine bottle). Some people find it help take the roughness out of sharper blades like those made by Feather.

Decant

A decant, or decanting refers to pouring (or sometimes spraying) aftershave or cologne from its original container over to one or more smaller containers.

Faceturbate

Rubbing one's face (excessively), usually after shaving.

Frown

Straight razors where the edge isn't straight, but where the width of the blade is narrower in the middle than at the ends is said to have a frown (because of the frown shape it will have when held in front of you).

Gillette Slide

A shaving technique used with double-edged, single-edged, and cartridge razors. Video showing the technique (starts at 0:35)

Il Bambino

Nickname for the Savile Row 3118 shaving brush.

J-Hooking

 ? Video showing the technique (starts at 1:30)

Microchipping

Microscopic chips in the edge of a straight razor's edge. Some razors can get microchipping when honed on fast cutting hones.

New Old Stock

An item that is still in its original packaging/state, but no longer manufactured.

Pass

Lathering up and shaving the whole beard area once. Usually in a particular direction relative to the beard growth, for instance a "with the grain pass". The idea behind doing multiple passes during one shaving session is to gradually remove stubble rather than getting it all away in one go.

Pay it forward (or PIF)

Rather than "paying it back" to older members, paying it forward means giving away shaving equipment to newbies.

Shavepocalypse

The time, presumably coming soon, after which all high quality shaving products such as soaps, badger brushes, and razors -- but most notably DE blades and SE blades -- will no longer be produced, supplanted by cheap cartridge or disposable razors and canned shaving gels or foams. All "decent" razors (excepting straight razors) will become useless, save to those who stockpiled enough blades and other shaving products to last out their lifetimes. This fear is partly based on the fact that as incomes rise in developing countries, Gillette (now owned by Proctor and Gamble) and other manufacturers have begun to phase out the much cheaper DE blades in favor of introducing the local populace to cartridge and disposable razors, e.g. in much of Central and Eastern Europe.

Shedder

A brush that keeps shedding hairs beyond the few that can be expected. Typically shedding several hairs each shave and not stopping.

Smile

Straight razors where the edge isn't straight, but where the width of the blade is wider in the middle than at the ends is said to have a smile (because of the smile shape it will have when held in front of you).

Snurdle

An almond sized dollop of shave cream. Often described as the "ideal" amount of shaving cream prior to creating lather. A snurdle may be applied directly into the breach of the brush or into the vessel used for creating the lather. Many spoon or blunt knife like objects are used for measuring out a snurdle such as a butter knife, ice cream sample spoon or a finger.

Sticky

The Wilkinson-Sword safety razor designed by Kenneth Grange.

Super lather

A lather created from using both shave soap and shave cream together, in order to get extra slick lather.

Thread

Thread is another word for "topic" on a message board. Each thread contains one original message and replies to that message.

Three T's, the

Taylor of Old Bond Street, Truefitt & Hill and Geo. F. Trumper, three English firms which have been supplying quality shaving goods for over a century

Weeper

A small nick.