shoeblack
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of shoeblack
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Had he lived longer, and had he enjoyed that competence which a prudent shoeblack seldom fails to enjoy, Spenser would have been second in fame to Shakespeare only.
From Deformities of Samuel Johnson, Selected from his Works by Anonymous
He carefully made détours to escape these, and the shoeblack boys with whom he had been held in high favour.
From A Sheaf of Corn by Mann, Mary E.
At first he had to perform the service of a shoeblack, that is, he had to oil and polish the cocoa-nut shells which his mistress wore instead of slippers.
From Tales from the German Comprising specimens from the most celebrated authors by Various
Though the young prince may be superior in his gifts to the young shoeblack, and would best show his princeliness by cultivating the shoeblack, still the shoeblack should wait to be cultivated.
From Marion Fay by Trollope, Anthony
He had to live like a gentleman upon this, and to give four guineas a year to the laundress, four to his barber, and two to his shoeblack.
From The English Utilitarians, Volume I. by Stephen, Leslie, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
