Waxies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A slang term referring to old-fashioned rubber or waterproof shoes coated with wax to enhance water resistance; also used to describe the wax applied to such footwear or similar items for waterproofing purposes; occasionally denotes informal vendors who sell or repair these shoes
2. Informally denotes a type of footwear treated with wax for durability and moisture protection; can also mean the substance used in waxing these shoes to maintain their water-resistant quality; sometimes represents individuals associated with the production or upkeep of these wax-coated shoes
3. Refers colloquially to rubber shoes that have been waxed to improve water repellency; includes the wax material used in application to these shoes for sealing and waterproofing; may additionally indicate merchants or workers dealing with such waxed rubber footwear

Etymology: "Waxies" is the plural of "waxie", and the singular traces back to a humble piece of tailoring equipment. Cobblers once waxed their thread so it would slide through leather and resist rotting, and the trade's name for the thread-waxer was "waxie," built from "wax" with the diminutive suffix "-ie." Shoes made with that waxed thread, or the men who stitched them, picked up the same name. The shift from thread to footwear is a short one: the waxing that protected stitching eventually became a way of protecting the whole shoe, so the word moved from the tools of the trade to the product itself. The sense of a person who makes or maintains these shoes followed the same path, with the worker and the thing he made sharing one label.

Synonyms: wax workers, wax sellers