barber's itch

American

noun

Pathology.

ringworm of the bearded areas of the face and neck, characterized by reddish patches; tinea barbae.

barber's itch British

noun

Technical name: tinea barbae. any of various fungal infections of the bearded portion of the neck and face

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of barber's itch

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Then there is a man going blind with what The Suicide calls "the barber's itch."

From Time Magazine Archive

The street was delighted when he contracted the barber's itch.

From Time Magazine Archive

A pill the doctor gives you if you are suffering with corns or barber's itch or any disease at all.

From Over the Top by Empey, Arthur Guy

At present almost everything ails him, save possibly barber's itch and the h. and m. disease that helped make Niles famous.

From News Writing The Gathering , Handling and Writing of News Stories by Spencer, M. Lyle (Matthew Lyle)

It's got the measles or barber's itch beat seven ways.

From Torchy, Private Sec. by Lincoln, F. Foster

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023