Five o'clock shadow

Five o'clock shadow

A five o'clock shadow is beard growth visible late in the day on a man whose face was clean-shaven in the morning. The term comes from the traditional nine-to-five workday hours.

History

During the 1980s, inspired largely by the then-popular television series "Miami Vice" and its unshaven lead character, James "Sonny" Crockett (Don Johnson), two-day stubble gained not only social acceptance, but even popularity. This is also known as designer stubble, particularly if it is groomed, shaped, and maintained as a regular beard would be.

The most famous politician in history to sport a five o'clock shadow, at a time when it was still considered a "faux pas", was U.S. president Richard Nixon, who is said to have lost the 1960 presidential election in part due to his unfortunate stubbled appearance during the televised United States presidential election debates with John F. Kennedy.

Another famous media figure with this facial look is Homer Simpson from the cartoon series The Simpsons, although in his case it grows immediately after shaving in the morning.

In Playboy magazine (2007-08; pg. 23), citing Women's Health magazine: 86% of women think that a five o'clock shadow is "not hot."

Other uses

As a proper noun, Five O'Clock Shadow may refer to:
*Five O'Clock Shadow, an all-male a cappella rock band from Boston, Massachusetts (1991–2003).

*"Five O'Clock Shadow", a crime novel (2004) by Susan Slater (ISBN 1-59058-104-0).

*"' [http://www.focscomic.com Five O'clock Shadow] , a humorous web comic started in 2008.


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • five o'clock shadow — A five o clock shadow is the facial hair that a man gets if he doesn t shave for a day or two …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • five o'clock shadow — n [singular] the dark colour on a man s chin where the hair has grown during the day …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • five o'clock shadow — noun uncount a slight growth of hair on a man s face in the afternoon when he SHAVED in the morning …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • five o'clock shadow — ► NOUN ▪ a slight growth of beard visible on a man s chin several hours after he has shaved …   English terms dictionary

  • five o'clock shadow — Informal n. the slight growth of beard visible in the late afternoon on the face of a man who shaved in the morning …   English World dictionary

  • five o'clock shadow — the rather dark stubble that appears on a man s face some hours after shaving, typically in the late afternoon if he shaved in the morning. Also, five o clock shadow. [1935 40] * * * ˌfive o clock ˈshadow f6 [five o clock shadow five o clock… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Five O'Clock Shadow — This article is about the a cappella group; for other meanings, see five o clock shadow. Five O Clock Shadow was an a cappella group from Boston, Massachusetts, existing from 1991 to 2003. The band had performed on FOX News, A E Network, ABC,… …   Wikipedia

  • five-o'clock shadow — noun Etymology: so called from the resemblance of a dark beard s stubble to a shadow : the growth of beard present late in the afternoon on the face of a man who has not shaved since morning * * * five o clock shadow noun (informal) The new… …   Useful english dictionary

  • five o'clock shadow — {n. phr.} A very short growth of beard on a man s face who did shave in the morning but whose beard is so strong that it is again visible in the afternoon. * / You have a five o clock shadow, honey, Irene said, and we re going to the opera. Why… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • five o'clock shadow — {n. phr.} A very short growth of beard on a man s face who did shave in the morning but whose beard is so strong that it is again visible in the afternoon. * / You have a five o clock shadow, honey, Irene said, and we re going to the opera. Why… …   Dictionary of American idioms

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