spit-shine
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of spit-shine
First recorded in 1955–60
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.
See Examples For:
It’s much simpler, however, to spit-shine escapist Social Progress tales drawn from a mythologized version of history.
From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2018
Siatta accepts this reputation easily and said he chafed at the spit-shine requirements of Marine Corps base life.
From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2016
Whether or not Kelly should be so deferent doesn't much matter, given the spit-shine of the finished product.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 12, 2013
No matter how much he pleads, the tabloids will never leave Woods alone, nor will his hagiographers continue to spit-shine his halo.
From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2010
A motley mix of military equipment—U.S.-built M60 tanks, Soviet-supplied personnel carriers, field guns made in South Korea—gleamed in the sun, ready to roll, polished to spit-shine perfection.
From Time Magazine Archive
The whole world feels sanded-down and spit-shined within an inch of its life, lacking any grime or grit that might make this feel authentic, and that extends to the storytelling as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2022
To be clear, winning a popularity contest in a player-driven league in a landscape in which most successful athletes also have spit-shined personal brands is not a bad thing.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 7, 2021
Or you could run into Murray Hill, the drag king and comedian, resplendent in a maroon crushed-velvet suit, with a bow tie and spit-shined shoes.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 1, 2018
The 12th Man wears spit-shined boots for special occasions, like football games.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 2, 2014
I remember watching other Catholics, girls in their Communion dresses and boys in their spit-shined shoes, walking down the street below our apartment, their mothers pushing prams and fathers strolling along beside.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
“And, without giving away any of our surprises, we are definitely spit-shining and tailoring it for its Broadway debut.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2016
On the other hand, downtime in the local semiconductor and computer industries leaves Young's salesmen spit-shining fenders.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
