razor gangn.
/ˈreɪzə ˌɡaŋ/, U.S. /ˈreɪzər ˌɡæŋ/ 1. A violent gang armed with razors.In quot. 1927 the name of a street gang in Sydney, Australia.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > ruffianly conduct > ruffian > [noun] > armed with razor > plural
razor gang1927
the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [noun] > violent treatment or force > frequenting streets > collectively
razor gang1927
1927 Truth (Sydney) 12 June 15/2 The Razor Gang has terrorised the underworld of Darlinghurst, that region of bohemia, crims and mystery. The razors its members carry in their hands are feared far more than the revolver of the ordinary crook.
1935 O. Mosley in G. C. Lebzelter Polit. Anti-Semitism in Eng. (1978) ii. 39 Who attacks the Tory Party and the Socialist Party? International Jewry. They are the people who put their razor gangs on the streets.
1957 Ess. in Crit. 7 311 I suppose that Mr. Conquest would not consider deliverance from the caprice of motorists, or even of wide boys and razor gangs, altogether undesirable for the free mind.
1977 Times 4 May 10/6 There were razor gangs on our race-courses.
1989 R. Holt Sport & Brit. (1992) iv. iv. 254 The tough, hard-drinking world of the shipyards and railway-shops, of razorgangs and the Gorbals.
2006 Mirror (Nexis) 30 Jan. 1 Belmarsh jail has been taken over by violent al-Qaeda thugs seeking recruits. A razor gang called The Muslim Boys is terrorising prisoners into converting to Islam.
2. In extended use: a group or body responsible for making cutbacks; spec. (a) (Railways slang) a team of investigators seeking ways of improving economy and productivity; (b) (Australian colloquial) a parliamentary committee charged with investigating and reducing government spending.
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the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > inspection, survey > [noun] > formal or official > person conducting > in a group
taskforce1942
razor gang1964
1964 H. Sheppard Dict. Railway Slang 9 Razor gang, economy men from Headquarters.
1970 F. McKenna Gloss. Railwaymen's Talk 38 Razor gang, an investigating committee, searching rosters and rotas for ‘unproductive time’.
1981 Times 1 May 7/6 The cuts in most areas of public service come after six months of investigations by a spending review committee..dubbed The Razor Gang.
1988 Hobart Mercury (Nexis) 13 May The government's razor gang is considering slashing the Medicare rebate for all medical services to 75 per cent.
2001 G. Hand Naked among Cannibals viii. 90 Each department had its own razor gang..reporting to the central PEP.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1927