mustache cup
Noun: A mustache cup is a specialized drinking cup. Its defining feature is a small, curved guard or bar (often made of porcelain or metal) attached to the inside of the rim. This guard is designed to protect a man's mustache from getting wet or soiled by the beverage while drinking.
The term mustache cup is used to refer to this specific historical object. It is a compound noun where "mustache" describes the purpose of the "cup." * These cups were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries when large, waxed mustaches were fashionable. * The design is functional, aiming to keep mustache wax out of the drink and prevent the mustache from becoming damp.
- The antique collector displayed a fine Victorian mustache cup with a gold-plated guard.
- He used a mustache cup for his morning tea to keep his impressive handlebar mustache perfectly dry.
- The museum's exhibit on daily life included a mustache cup alongside other grooming items from the 1800s.
- The term is primarily historical and descriptive. In modern contexts, it is almost exclusively used when discussing antiques, historical customs, or vintage items.
- It can be used metaphorically or humorously to describe any makeshift or modern solution for a similar problem, though this is rare.
- Moustache cup: An alternative spelling, primarily British English.
- Mustache guard: The functional part inside the cup. Sometimes used informally to refer to the entire cup.
- Spill-proof cup: A modern, general term for cups designed to prevent liquid from escaping, but without the specific mustache-protecting feature.
- Antique drinking cup (with a guard): A more descriptive synonym.
- Victorian shaving cup: While sometimes confused, a shaving cup is typically a mug used for making shaving lather and lacks the interior guard.
There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs specifically using the term mustache cup. Its use is literal.
- a drinking cup with a bar inside the rim to keep a man's mustache out of the drink