Has anyone every heard the former used instead of the latter? I hadn’t until watching an old episode of Combat! on Youtube. And even then, it wasn’t 100% certain. The Kirby character says, “I’d wax his beaver for a ride.” He was referring to Telly Savalas, the episode guest star, who was offering them passage on his jeeps. Telly was sporting a big handlebar moustache in the episode, so I concluded that either beaver meant moustache or Kirby knew one of Telly’s deepest darkest secrets. If you care to listen to decide if I’m hearing it right, it’s this episode about 14 minutes in.
“Beaver” used to mean beard, but I’ve never heard it as a reference to just a mustache.
In my Historical Dictionary of American Slang, I can find an example or two but only in the 1980-90 period. Rarely used that way.
Never heard this.
Could it be referring to a “mustache ride”?
Either that or he’s willing to give the guy a Brazilian for a lift, or something in that general area you couldn’t speak of on television at that point.
Never heard “beaver” to mean any male body part.
I have nothing to advance the OP, but will add that Jennifer Anniston’s father also appears in this episode.
Here’s an example.
Telly’s face hair was strictly a moustache.
In any case, it’s not really a euphemism (a positive or neutral word used in place of one that someone might find offensive). Rather a dysphemism (an offensive word used in place in of a neutral or positive one). Or, more correctly, just slang.