shiner
noun/ˈʃaɪnə(ɹ)/
Etymology From Middle English schyner, equivalent to shine + -er. Compare Old English sċīnere (“one who produces deceptive appearances, magician”).
12 senses
- 1One who shines; a luminary.
- 2One who causes things to shine; a polisher.
- 3A black eye.
- 4Raccoon eyes.
- 5A bright piece of money, especially a sovereign.
- 6Any of numerous species of small freshwater American…
- 7Any silvery fish, such as the horsefish, menhaden, or moonfish.
- 8A common silverfish (Lepisma saccharinum, or any member…
- 9A moonshiner.
- 10A small reflective surface used for cheating at card games.
- 11A bottle of finished wine, without a label.
- 12A brick that is laid on its tallest, thinnest side, with…
One who shines; a luminary.
One who causes things to shine; a polisher.
Colloquial A black eye.
Colloquial Raccoon eyes.
- Has she the shiners, d'ye think?1776, Samuel Foote, The Capuchin:
- She may be generally found in the fore part of the day at her lodgings above mentioned, where a brace of shiners will ensure you the possession of charms above their value, cent per cent.1789, Harris's List of Covent-Garden Ladies, London: H. Ranger, page 30:
Any of numerous species of small freshwater American cyprinoid fishes of Notropis, Lythrurus, and allied genera, such as the redfin.
Any silvery fish, such as the horsefish, menhaden, or moonfish.
A common silverfish (Lepisma saccharinum, or any member of genus Lepisma.
Slang A moonshiner.
A small reflective surface used for cheating at card games.
- Fargo wasn't sure what difference it made if one gambler passed something to another, unless it was to be used in cheating, a shiner maybe. But nobody at that table would let a shiner pass.2003, Jon Sharpe, Trailsman #258: Casino Carnage:
- Shiners are a big part of the wine business. […] Shiners are finished, bottled wines that don’t have a label or typically any other identifying feature until a vintner purchases them and then places a label on the bottles. […] They’re called shiners because they are unlabeled and have a “shiny” appearance.2008, James Laube, “Shiners Are a Secret Part of the Wine Business”, in Wine Spectator:
A brick that is laid on its tallest, thinnest side, with its largest face facing the outside of the wall (oriented so that this face is wider than it is tall).
- Derived terms
35 terms
beautiful shiner, bigeye shiner, bigmouth shiner, blackchin shiner, blacknose shiner, blacktail shiner, blueside shiner, bridle shiner, carmine shiner, comely shiner, common shiner, eastern shiner, emerald shiner, finescale shiner, flagfin shiner, golden shiner, highscale shiner, Kiamichi shiner, palezone shiner, phantom shiner, redlip shiner, red shiner, redside shiner, red-striped shiner, rosefin shiner, sand shiner, satinfin shiner, scarlet shiner, sharpnose shiner, shiner perch, shoeshiner, silverband shiner, spottail shiner, swallowtail shiner, Tennessee shiner