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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

neat's-foot oil

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

Behind it dangled from dusty pegs portions of leather harness, which all the neat's-foot oil of the military pharmacopœia could never again restore to softness or pliability.

From Foes in Ambush by Charles King

Should the shoes, leggings, or leather equipment be soaked by rain or swimming they will not become hard if covered with a light coat of neat's-foot oil applied just before they dry out.

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 U. S. War Department

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