neat's-foot oil

American  

[neets-foot] / ˈnitsˌfʊt /

noun

1. a pale-yellow fixed oil made by boiling the feet and shinbones of cattle, used chiefly as a dressing for leather.

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neat's-foot oil British  

noun

1. a yellow fixed oil obtained by boiling the feet and shinbones of cattle and used esp to dress leather

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Etymology

Origin of neat's-foot oil

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

It was tangy and slick, like a dirty Martini, with a whiff of neat’s-foot oil.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 4, 2016

His lined, leathery face is as supple as if treated daily with neat's-foot oil.

From Time Magazine Archive

They want to stop and smell the neat's-foot oil.

From Time Magazine Archive

Near our own pump there is a glass preserving jar half full of neat's-foot oil and, pickling in it, a spare set of pump leathers just waiting for something to happen.

From If You're Going to Live in the Country by Lieberman, Frank

Leather can be preserved for years by the use of saddle soap and neat's-foot oil, but once it becomes hard and cracked nothing will make it serviceable.

From Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army of the United States 1917 to be also used by Engineer Companies (Mounted) for Cavalry Instruction and Training by Department, U. S. War