transcription, транскрипция: [ dʒel ]
noun (Lifestyle and Leisure) A jelly-like substance used for cosmetic preparations of various kinds, especially for setting hair and as a semi-liquid soap for use in showers. Etymology: A specialized application of gel in its established chemical sense 'a semi-solid colloidal system consisting of a solid dispersed in a liquid'. History and Usage: The first gel for setting and styling hair was developed for salon use as long ago as the late fifties in the US, but this was a setting gel applied before rolling and setting the hair in the traditional way. The gel only really came into its own as a product on general sale and in widespread use with the swept-up hair fashions of the punk era (from the late seventies onwards). These preparations could be applied to wet hair before blow-drying, used to 'glue' the hair in place while it dried naturally, or even to fix dry hair into a style. When used on dry hair it produced a glistening, still-wet look that duly resulted in a new hair fashion in the eighties. The gel form proved useful for other preparations, too--notably as a shower soap--because it does not run off the hand like a liquid or slip like bar soap. Nowadays people are using superglue, lacquer, gel, oils and even soap and water to make their hair stand up. Telegraph (Brisbane) 7 Oct. 1985, p. 8 A luxurious exfoliating gel has been launched by Christian Dior. Sunday Express Magazine 17 Sept. 1989, p. 3 Don't use harsh soaps and shower gels on winter skin--use a cleansing bar. Health Shopper Jan./Feb. 1990, p. 4