shiner

American  

[shahy-ner] / ˈʃaɪ nər /

noun

1. a person or thing that shines.

2. Slang. black eye.

3. any of various small American freshwater fishes having glistening scales, especially a minnow.

4. any of various silvery, marine fishes, as the menhaden or butterfish.

5. a defect in silk or synthetic filament or fabric, produced either in the process of winding or as a result of shuttle friction and appearing on fabric as a shiny streak.

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shiner British  

/ ˈʃaɪnə /

noun

1. something that shines, such as a polishing device

2. any of numerous small North American freshwater cyprinid fishes of the genus Notropis and related genera, such as N. cornutus ( common shiner ) and Notemigonus crysoleucas ( golden shiner )

3. a popular name for the mackerel

4. informal a black eye

5. old-fashioned a vagrant or tramp

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Etymology

Origin of shiner

1350–1400; 1900–05 shiner for def. 2; Middle English; see shine ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

The massacre was sparked by the arrest of Dick Rowland, 19, a Black shoe shiner who was accused of assault against Sarah Page, 17, a white elevator operator.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2021

The best we can tell, a 19-year-old African American shoe shiner named Dick Rowland tripped as he entered the elevator in the Drexel Building.

From Washington Post • May 28, 2021

For decades, white and black Tulsans refused to talk about the events of May 31, 1921, when a black man who worked as a shoe shiner was accused of assaulting a white woman.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2020

Crappie continue to improve, especially shiner and will be found in brush piles.

From Washington Times • Oct. 30, 2019

Maybe the cracked lens will distract people’s eyes before they get to the shiner.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell