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heelball

American  
[heel-bawl] / ˈhilˌbɔl /

noun

  1. a substance composed of lampblack and wax used for making rubbings or for polishing shoes.

heelball British  
/ ˈhiːlˌbɔːl /

noun

    1. a black waxy substance used by shoemakers to blacken the edges of heels and soles

    2. a similar substance used to take rubbings, esp brass rubbings

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of heelball

1790–1800; heel 1 + ball 1, originally the ball or undersurface of the heel

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.

The use of raw linseed oil only is allowed for redressing and the application for such purpose of any kind of wax or varnish, including heelball, is strictly prohibited.

From Manual of Military Training Second, Revised Edition by Moss, James A. (James Alfred)

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.