DCHP-1 Online
barber Obs. 
1a n. a vapor or mist made up of tiny particles of ice, so called because of its cutting qualities.
- 1829 (1830) Woe betide his fresh shaven visage, if it be upreared above the hatchway! Frozen particles of the atmosphere, aptly termed by the natives "the barber," sweep the surface of the water. . . .
- 1869 The "Barber" appears on the harbour in the morning--a dense steam, due to the great differences of temperatures of air and water.
1b n. the vapor caused by exhaling in sub-zero weather.
- 1851 (1852) . . . with the thermometer . . . at 18° below zero . . . your very breath [forms] into a small snow called "barber," which penetrated into your very innermost garments. . . .
2 n. See quote.
- 1832 The keen north-west wind, during winter, is often called the "Barber" in America.
- 1829 (1830) Woe betide his fresh shaven visage, if it be upreared above the hatchway! Frozen particles of the atmosphere, aptly termed by the natives "the barber," sweep the surface of the water. . . .