shop window
nounEtymology From Middle English shop window, shop wyndowe, equivalent to shop + window.
1
A large window at the front of a shop, behind which items for sale are displayed.
- The passenger carriage was recognised as one of the "shop windows" of the railways and thus an essential element in the important work of achieving a greatly improved public image.1963 March, Brian Haresnape, “New B.R. carriages to compete for the long-distance passenger”, in Modern Railways, page 165:
- The enthusiasm with which the private industry has treated the high speed rail concept can do the Corporation some good, and maybe even encourage the completion of the originally proposed electrification from New Haven to Boston. It will then have a high speed 'shop window', comparable with any in the world.1985, Rodger Bradley, Amtrak: The US National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Blandford Press, page 168:
- Synonyms
- show window
- Related terms
- window-shopping