Dictionary

Wycherley comb en · NOUN

Etymology

Apparently associated with William Wycherley, English dramatist (1641–1716).

Meanings

1. (historical) A tortoiseshell comb.
   • A comb made of South American tortoiseshell was found. These were used from the 17th century, hence the ‘Wycherley comb’, named after the dramatist William Wycherley (1641–1715). 2013, John Steane, James Ayres, Traditional Buildings in the Oxford Region, page 415:
   • On a huge tomb-like table, in the middle of the room, lay two pencilled profiles of Mr. Fielding, a pawnbroker's ticket, a pair of ruffles, a very little muff, an immense broadsword, a Wycherly comb, a jackboot, and an old plumed hat;— […] 1829, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], “The Beau in His Den, and a Philosopher Discovered”, in Devereux. A Tale. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, book II, page 194:
   • ‘You might just as well,’ continued she, ‘praise the carvings upon a Wycherley comb, so carefully preserved by the collectors of old china and such gimcracks.’ 1828, J. T. Smith, Nollekens and His Times, Century Hutchinson, published 1986, page 68:

Forms

wikipedia: William Wycherley