The Collaborative International Dictionary
To give the whetstone
Whetstone \Whet"stone`\, n. [AS. hwetst[=a]n.] A piece of stone, natural or artificial, used for whetting, or sharpening, edge tools.
The dullness of the fools is the whetstone of the wits.
--Shak.
Diligence is to the understanding as the whetstone to
the razor.
--South.
Note: Some whetstones are used dry, others are moistened with water, or lubricated with oil.
To give the whetstone, to give a premium for extravagance in falsehood. [Obs.]