get one's shine box en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Popularized by the movie Goodfellas (1990), where the character William "Billy Batts" Bentvena uses the phrase in an insulting allusion to Tommy DeVito's previous job as a shoeshiner.
Meanings
-
(idiomatic, slang) Used as an insult.
Make note of his stubby fingers and small hands – we all know what that means. When he responds with ever-increasing insults and shushing, tell him to go get his shinebox.
2016 February 16, Ben Domenech, “At Tonight’s Debate, Take a Flamethrower to Trump”, in The Federalist (blog):
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| getting one's shine box | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| get one's shinebox | alternative | lexicographic | |
| gets one's shine box | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| got one's shine box | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | UK | lexicographic |
| got one's shine box | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| gotten one's shine box | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | US | lexicographic |