shiner

American  

[shahy-ner] / ˈʃaɪ nər /

noun

1. a person or thing that shines. shine.

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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of shiner

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

Example Sentences

“Yep. Boy. Noses gush, don’t they? Looks like your glasses didn’t do you any favors, either. You have a cut there from that nose pad thing. May get a decent shiner out of it too.”

From Literature

Dimon’s decision ends months of speculation by everyone from bankers and real-estate brokers to shoe shiners about the U.S. bank’s next move.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We call them shiners,” she added, because they catch the eye.

From Seattle Times

Most of them were small species, such as minnows and shiners, but thousands of larger fish, including catfish and carp, also perished.

From New York Times

Anthony Davis has a shiner, and things just got heavier.

From Los Angeles Times