bootblack

[boot-blak]

noun

a person who shines shoes and boots for a living.

Origin of bootblack

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20; boot¹ + black

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bootblack

Historical Examples

One of the servants, named Tom, was the bootblack of the hotel.
The Expressman and the Detective
Allan Pinkerton
He can be a bootblack, a servant, a barber, perhaps a teamster.
The Negro and the Nation
George S. Merriam
He was finally carried to bed in the custody of the bootblack.
City Crimes
Greenhorn
She did not recognize him, having no idea that it was Tom the bootblack.
Tom, The Bootblack
Horatio Alger
It makes all the difference between a young gentleman and a bootblack.
Tom, The Bootblack
Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for bootblack

bootblack

noun

mainly US another word for shoeblack

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bootblack

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}bootblack

Examples from the Web for bootblack

Historical Examples

One of the servants, named Tom, was the bootblack of the hotel.

He can be a bootblack, a servant, a barber, perhaps a teamster.

He was finally carried to bed in the custody of the bootblack.

She did not recognize him, having no idea that it was Tom the bootblack.

It makes all the difference between a young gentleman and a bootblack.

bootblack

Origin of bootblack