pique-devant

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English

Portrait of King Charles I of England with a pique-devant

Alternative forms

Etymology

Probably coined in England, from French pique (“pike, spade (cards)”) or piquer (“to prick”) + devant (“in front”)

Noun

pique-devant (plural pique-devants)

  1. (obsolete, historical) A small beard trimmed to a sharp point.
    • 1587, Raphael Holinshed et al., Holinshed’s Chronicle‎, London: Henry Denham, Book 2, Chapter 7, p. 172:
      Neither will I meddle with our varietie of beards, of which some are shauen from the chin like those of Turks, not a few cut short like to the beard of marques Otto, some made round like a rubbing brush, other with a pique de vant (O fine fashion!) or now and then suffered to grow long, the barbers being growen to be so cunning in this behalfe as the tailors.
    • 1596, Thomas Nashe, Have with You to Saffron-Walden‎, London: John Danter:
      twice double his Patrimonie hath he spent in carefull cherishing & preseruing his pickerdeuant
    • 1604, Christopher Marlowe, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus‎, London: Thomas Bushell:
      Wag. Sirra boy, come hither.
      Clo. How, boy? swowns boy, I hope you haue séene many boyes with such pickadevaunts as I haue.
    • 1638, Richard Baker, transl., New Epistles of Mounsieur de Balzac Being the second and third volumes‎, London: Fra. Eglesfield, John Crooke, and Rich. Serger, Letter 51, p. 108:
      I have seene the Cavalier you have so often spoken of, and I thinke you judge verie rightlie of him. Hee consists wholly of a Pickedevant , and two Mustachoes: and therefore utterly to defeate him, there needes but three clippes of a paire of Cizers.
    • 1688, Randle Holme III, The Academy of Armory‎, Chester, Book 2, p. 389:
      In the Sinister Chief is set another sort of a full Face with a sharp pointed Beard, and is termed in Blazon, a Mans face with a Pick-a-devant, (or sharp pointed) Beard.

Synonyms

References

  1. ^ James Stevens-Cox, An Illustrated Dictionary of Hairdressing and Wigmaking, London: Batsford, 1984, p. 118.
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