Bootblack

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual whose profession involves the cleaning and polishing of footwear A person dedicated to enhancing the aesthetic appeal of shoes through expert care A worker specialized in shoe maintenance, focusing on cleaning and shining services
2. Someone engaged in the occupation of cleaning and shining shoes to improve their appearance
3. A person who professionally cleans and buffs footwear to restore their shine and condition

Etymology: A bootblack is a compound of two plain English words: "boot," the leather covering for the foot and lower leg, and "black," the colour, which here refers to the dark polish once applied to leather footwear. The combination describes a person whose job is to clean and shine shoes, and the word is formed the same way other occupational nouns of its era were, by joining a thing with the person who works on it. The surprise lies in the second half. "Black" in this compound names the polish rather than the worker, so the term describes the trade by its product, much as "blacksmith" names a smith by his metal work on iron. A bootblack's stock in trade was a tin of blacking, the polish that gave footwear its sheen, and the job was typically done on street corners and in public places where customers paid a small fee to have their shoes restored.