Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A person who cleans and polishes shoes for a living.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One whose occupation is to clean and black boots and shoes. Also called
shoe-black .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One who blacks boots.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
shoeshine boy ; a person who shines shoes as an occupation. - verb transitive To shine shoes.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a person who polishes shoes and boots
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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"A bootblack is a nice playmate," said Guy, with his usual sneer.
Hector's Inheritance, Or, the Boys of Smith Institute Horatio Alger 1865
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It was certainly remarkable that the boy to whom he had recently offered the position of his bootblack should be a guest of a fashionable New York hotel.
The Young Explorer Horatio Alger 1865
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They included a former bootblack named Andrew Williams, who purchased six lots of land for $125 and laborer named Epiphany Davis who bought twelve lots for $578.
Alan Singer: The Resurrection of Seneca Village Alan Singer 2011
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The bootblack looked curiously up at him, and he remembered his moosehide moccasins and went away hastily.
In a Far Country 2010
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The bootblack looked curiously up at him, and he remembered his moosehide moccasins and went away hastily.
In a Far Country 2010
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She lives with a boozing mother and little sister with the preternaturally wizened face of a Dickensian bootblack.
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The on-line image (released by the government of France) is a bit small (click on photo above for larger image), but shows distantly a man standing being served by a bootblack.
Never Yet Melted 2009
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As we unpacked each pair of boots and positioned them into the grid, flecks of the bootblack rubbed off on our hands, leaving them indelibly stained with the ashes of unknown memories.
Commemorating Those Killed in Afghanistan: A Cry For Peace 2009
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Two years of indentured servitude as Dubya's personal bootblack ... and reading tutor.
Warren Holstein: Top Ten Alternate Punishments for the Iraqi Shoe Thrower 2009
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Nicholas Jenkins analyzes the photo best, locating the shot, identifying the time of day, and explaining why we can't see the bootblack.
Never Yet Melted 2009
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