The Only Use of
whet
in
Moby Dick
- I was watching to see where he kept his razor, when lo and behold, he takes the harpoon from the bed corner, slips out the long wooden stock, unsheathes the head, whets it a little on his boot, and striding up to the bit of mirror against the wall, begins a vigorous scraping, or rather harpooning of his cheeks.†
Chpt 4-6
Definition:
-
(whet) to increase a sense or desire
or more rarely: to sharpen a knife or other cutting edge