hair shirt
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sam dons the hair shirt in this novel, but his coiled, bitter angst is tempered somewhat by his sense of humor, as satirical as it is self-aware.
From New York Times
You might think of Adam Minter’s “Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale” as the hair shirt you don after relishing your brand-new Christmas booty.
From Washington Post
Most expressions suggested that a hair shirt was concealed beneath their finery.
From Washington Post
There are no “Merry Lent” signs at the department stores, no designer collections of hair shirts.
From Washington Post
Hedges hands out the hair shirts and whips, but he stops short of naming the Teacher or Savior or Way.
From Salon
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.