Meaning of five and nine | Babel Free

Definitions

Basic facial greasepaint makeup.

informal, uncountable

Examples

“Not much "beautiful dignity" about her now! she thought, looking at her smudged eyes and the tracks her tears had made in carefully applied five and nine. Her black tin box of makeup — her most treasured possession — sat before her, […]”

“[…] before many years had passed I would be plastered in the greasy 'five and nine' cosmetics beloved of the theatrical profession.”

“The sticks of Leichner were notoriously hard and difficult to spread. […] In theatre dressing rooms the hot bulbs surrounding the actors' mirrors were often streaked with five and nine, which helped to soften the stuff.”

CEFR level