subs. phr. (common).—Official costume, evening dress, or (theatrical) MAKE-UP (q.v.).
1884. HAGGARD, Dawn, vol. iii., ch. ii. She. ‘Have you seen the hero of the evening?’ He. ‘Who? Do you mean the Portuguese Governor in his WAR-PAINT?’
1888. St. James’s Gazette, 9 April. Sir William Jenner in his WAR-PAINT as president of the Royal College of Physicians.
