shoeshines
Bootblack's paid service
Shoeshines are acts of polishing shoes, or the polished results themselves: He stopped for a shoeshine on his way to court.
A shoeshine boy or shoeshine man earns money buffing customers' footwear, typically on the street or in transportation hubs.
The term evokes an earlier era when leather shoes were standard and regular polishing routine.
One who polishes footwear
street corner · parlor · attendant · customer · waiting · stool · footrest · transaction
Smooth by rubbing
- buffAvid fan; also burnish
- brushBristled cleaning tool
- clothWoven or knit material
- waxPliable waterproof substance
mirror finish · dauber · horsehair · chamois · circular motion · leather conditioner · toe cap · burnish
One who polishes footwear
- street vendorOutdoor unlicensed merchant
- working classManual laborers collectively
- hustleEnergetic, aggressive action
- incomeRegular monetary receipts
tips · regulars · self-employed · trade · livelihood · urban · entrepreneurship · service worker
- newsboyYouth selling periodicals
- vintageQuality from past eras
- AmericanaHeritage artifacts or music
- immigrantOne who resettles abroad
sidewalk · city life · old-timey · Norman Rockwell · hardscrabble · bootstrap · train station · midcentury
bootblack
One who polishes footwear
buff · street corner · parlor · attendant · customer · waiting · stool · footrest · transaction · quick
polish
Smooth by rubbing
wax · mirror finish · dauber · horsehair · chamois · circular motion · leather conditioner · toe cap · burnish · applicator
bootblack
One who polishes footwear
- street vendorOutdoor unlicensed merchant
- working classManual laborers collectively
- hustleEnergetic, aggressive action
income · tips · regulars · self-employed · trade · livelihood · urban · entrepreneurship · service worker · standing
Horatio Alger
immigrant · sidewalk · city life · old-timey · Norman Rockwell · hardscrabble · bootstrap · train station · midcentury
shoeshinesrepairs
Restorative maintenance work
resoling · shoe repair · structural repairs · cobbling · heel replacement
- shoeshine boyYouth who polishes footwear
- shoeshine kitSupplies for polishing footwear
- shoeshine girlFemale shoe polisher