† ˈhigh-shoe Obs.
1. One who wears high shoes, as rustics did in the 17th c.; hence, a rustic, countryman, plain man.
| [1603 Breton Packet Lett. Wks. (1879) 49 (Countryman's Let. to Sweetheart) If my high shooes come home on Saturday, Ile see thee on Sunday.] 1650–66 Wharton Poems Wks. (1683) 340 The Wary-High-Shooe, who so Idoliz'd The Covenant, that equally he priz'd It with his Bible. 1651 Cleveland Rebel Scot Poems 34 What all those wild Collegiates had cost The honest High-shoes. 1679 Observ. last Dutch Wars 4 Our Justices..in the more weighty points of the Law, would be baffled upon the Bench by every High-shooe. 1695 Enq. Anc. Const. Eng. 45 Whereby we of the high shoos, would be made as capable of judging..as the best gentleman of you all. |
2. pl. high shoon used attrib. = Rustic, boorish. high-shoon-man, a rustic, an agricultural labourer.
| 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 251 As if there were no medium between High-shoon Language, and that of the Buskin and Stage. 1664 Evelyn Pomona Pref. (1729) 50 This Improvement would be generally obstructed by the Tenant and High-shoon-men. 1676 Marvell Mr. Smirke 52 He came with two Reprobates of his own Heresy into a little..Shire of Italy and..seduced three most simple high-shoon Bishops. |