zit cream, n.

zit-cream
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zit-cream_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 2021

# zit creamnoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zit cream mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zit cream. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the noun zit cream?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1970 | 0.0007
1980 | 0.0011
1990 | 0.0011
2000 | 0.0011
2010 | 0.0014

### Where does the noun zit cream come from?

Earliest known use

1960s

The earliest known use of the noun zit cream is in the 1960s.

OED's earliest evidence for zit cream is from 1968, in Bluestocking.

### Nearby entries

1. zirconite, n. 1806–
2. zirconitic, adj. 1883–
3. zirconium, n. 1808–
4. zircon-like, adj. 1857–
5. zircono-, comb. form
6. zirconolite, n. 1957–
7. zircon-syenite, n. 1813–
8. zirconyl, n. 1887–
9. zirkelite, n. 1895–
10. zit, n. 1912–
11. zit cream, n.1968–
12. zitella, n. a1660–
13. zit-face, n. 1974–
14. zit-faced, adj. 1971–
15. zither, n. 1831–
16. zither, v. 1889–
17. zither banjo, n. 1888–
18. zithering, adj. 1889–
19. zitherist, n. 1866–
20. zither-like, adj. 1881–
21. ziti, n. 1845–

## Meaning & use

slang (originally U.S.).

1. 1968–
   A preparation used to treat pimples; spot cream.
   1. 1968

      > Zit cream and rollers on a date?

      Bluestocking (Mary Baldwin Coll., Virginia) 215
   2. 1997

      > The zit-cream commercials with their false promises of clear skin and a happy social life.

      D. Haynes, All Amer. Dream Dolls xiii. 210
   3. 2010

      > You know what you'd like to do—pick, poke, prod, push and even plaster that pesky pimple with an arsenal of possibly expired zit cream.

      Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Queensland) (Nexis) 23 June 27
   pharmacology U.S. English colloquial and slang
   1. eye salve Old English–
      Medicinal ointment for the eyes. Also figurative and in figurative contexts (frequently with allusion to Revelation 3:18; see quot. 1526).
   2. diachylon 1313–
      Originally, the name of a kind of ointment composed of vegetable juices; now a common name for lead-plaster, emplastrum plumbi, an adhesive plaster…
   3. populeon a1398–1790
      An ointment containing buds of the black poplar (Populus nigra) and other herbs, used to relieve pain, inflammation, and itching.
   4. euphorbine c1400
      Some product of the euphorbia.
   5. marciaton?a1425–1847
      A kind of ointment, used esp. to treat pain in the joints.
   6. nerval?c1450–1612
      A medicinal ointment for the sinews.
   7. basilicon?1541–
      Name given to several ointments supposed to possess ‘sovereign’ virtues.
   8. pilgrim-salve c1565–1798
      An ointment made from gelatin or animal fat; (euphemistic) dirt, filth, excrement.
   9. nerve oil 1592–1846
      An oil applied topically as a treatment for strained tendons (cf. nerval, n.).
   10. apostles' ointment 1721
       A purifying ointment composed of twelve ingredients.
   11. blue ointment 1721–
       Ointment containing mercury (in the form of quicksilver), used esp. in the treatment of syphilitic skin disease; cf. blue butter, n.
   12. Turner's cerate 1741–
       An ointment consisting of calamine, wax, and a fat such as butter, olive oil, or lard (or a mixture of these), used as a dressing to treat skin…
   13. yellow basilicon 1746–
       (More fully yellow basilicon ointment) any of various ointments typically containing wax and resin, used to promote suppuration and the healing of…
   14. citron ointment 1783–1861
       = citrine ointment, n.
   15. litharge-plaster 1789–
       = diachylon, n.
   16. Kalydor 1824–
       (The proprietary name of) a type of skin tonic of which almond oil forms the basis.
   17. blue butter 1838–
       = blue ointment, n.
   18. Holloway's ointment 1838–
       Holloway's pill, a patent medicine used principally for laxative purposes. Also Holloway's ointment.
   19. lip balm 1853–
       Ointment that is applied to the lips to prevent or soothe soreness, dryness, and cracking. Also: a stick or tub of this. Cf. chapstick, n.
   20. lead-plaster 1865–
       = diachylon, n.
   21. chapstick 1891–
       A proprietary name for: a small stick or tub of ointment that is applied to the lips to prevent or soothe soreness, dryness, and cracking. Also: the…
   22. Gypsy Cream 1908–
       a. An ointment intended to treat minor skin irritation caused by contact with the hairs of the gypsy moth larva (obsolete rare); b. (chiefly British)…
   23. wool-wax 1911–
       a. = suint, n.; b. = lanolin, n.
   24. barrier cream 1950–
       A protective cream for the skin.
   25. zit cream 1968–
       A preparation used to treat pimples; spot cream.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Frequency

zit cream typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.

zit cream is in frequency band 2, which contains words occurring between 0.001 and 0.01 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zit cream, n., 1970–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1970 | 0.0007
1980 | 0.0011
1990 | 0.0011
2000 | 0.0011
2010 | 0.0014

Originally published as part of the entry for zit, n.

zit cream, n. was first published in 2021.