per-frĭco, cui, cātum, and ctum, āre, v. a.
I Lit., to rub all over , to rub or scratch (class.): caput unguento, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 25, § 62: totam faciem fuligine, Petr. 22; Cels. 3, 14: totum corpus, id. 1, 3; Plin. 28, 12, 51, § 190: perfrictis oculis, App. M. 2, p. 125, 28: dentes, Ov. A. A. 3, 216: caput sinistrā manu perfricans, scratching his head , Cic. Pis. 25, 61.—
II Transf.: frontem, faciem, os, to rub one's forehead or face , in order to make one's blushes disappear; hence, to lay aside all sense of shame , to cast off shame , summon one's assurance , put on a bold face (class.): cum os perfricuisti, Cic. Tusc. 3, 18, 41: vitiosa sunt illa ... perfricare faciem et quasi improbam facere, Quint. 11, 3, 160: cum perfricuit frontem posuitque pudorem, Mart. 11, 27, 7: perfrica frontem et dic, Calv. ap. Quint. 9, 2, 25: perfricui faciem, Plin. H. N. praef. § 4.