five o'clock shadow

or five-o'clock shadow

noun

the rather dark stubble that appears on a man's face some hours after shaving, typically in the late afternoon if he shaved in the morning.

Origin of five o'clock shadow

First recorded in 1935–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for five-o'clock shadow

five-o'clock shadow

noun

beard growth visible late in the day on a man's shaven face

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012