For many, especially in the Southern US, it means the person referenced is an ignoramus. The post "Knowing Shit from Shinola": An Oral History of The Jerk appeared first on Consequence of Sound. (Shinola is a brand of shoe polish, which is usually black or brown.) rude slang To be exceptionally nave, unworldly, ignorant, or undiscerning. The alliteration of the expression 'doesn't know shit from Shinola' partly explains the derivation. The ignoramus wouldn't know the difference and happily walk the streets of some Northern US town proudly displaying his newly "shined" shoes. Thanks for the tip." 2. slang Are you being serious? For the lifestyle brand, see, A July 1912 review of Shinola shoe polish from. Definition of don't know shit from Shinola in the Idioms Dictionary. I live in Virginia and it was a common line my father used. Always used in the negative. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Ok. what? Why did you send a kid to be my partner on this case? Definitions include: a scientist, engineer, or person employed in a technical field. Definitions include: acronym for "if you know what I mean and I think you do". Definitions include: to have awareness of what's going on. + Add a definition for this slang term Definition of know shit from Shinola in the Idioms Dictionary. Shinola was produced in several colors: black, white, oxblood, red, tan, and brown. The 'ola' suffix is popular in the USA as part of trade names, e.g. The phrase shit from Shinola comes from the American shoe cleaning product named Shinola. Dictionary of American idioms. Of course, outside America, most people don't know Shinola from anything at all, as they've never heard of it. 1. Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary, the webmaster's page for free fun content, don't have a pot to piss in (or a window to throw it out of), don't judge a man until you have walked (a mile) in his shoes, don't judge a person until you have walked (a mile) in their shoes, don't judge someone until you have walked (a mile) in their shoes, don't know whether to eat it or rub it on, don't let (someone or something) get you down, don't let the door hit you on the way out. Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary, the webmaster's page for free fun content, can't see farther than the end of (one's) nose, can't see further than (the end of) (one's) (own) nose, can't see the forest/wood(s) for the trees, can't stand the sight of (someone or something), can't take (one's) eyes off (of) (someone or something), can't take your eyes off someone/something, can't tell (one's) arse from (one's) elbow, can't wrap (one's) head around (something). If you have, you might have wondered what the phrase means. To link to this term in a wiki such as Wikipedia, insert the following. He doesn't know shit from Shinola. " Shinola" was a patented name and trademark for boot polish. Can't tell one's ass from first base; see Shinola. I'm really not sure what this is, but I know it ain't shit. Always used in the negative. Shinola was a popular brand of shoe polish. Shinola? He doesn't know shit from Shinola! Logged-in users can add themselves to the map. by <br ea sports June 6, 2020 A colloquialism which dates back to the early 1940s in the United States, sometimes ended with "that's why your shoes don't shine". A euphemism for shit. Definitions include: from basic ingredients; not pre-prepared. Definitions include: an intelligent person. Definitions include: absent minded, inattentive. The company was founded in 2012, and produces watches and leather goods. Definitions include: to become overwhelmed with information. If you are curious to see how the term shit from Shinola can work in a day to day conversation, we are now going to look at some examples of what you might hear. . Definitions include: extremely unintelligent. Definitions include: acronym for "better known as". Shinola is a defunct American brand of shoe polish. Why did you send a kid to be my partner on this case? Definitions include: acronym for "I know, right?". https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Shinola. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. Keeps new shoes from looking old. It became the largest manufacturer of the product in the world circa 1917, being carried into war by doughboys. "The 'ola' suffix is popular in the USA as part of trade names, e.g. they could easily be fooled by the shine man who could just as well put shit on their shoes as shoe polish. As in does not know shit from Shinola, meaning either very ignorant or very innocent is US military slang from WWII. George Melancthon Wetmore (August 31, 1858 June 10, 1923) was born in Gates, New York and, after attending military school, got a degree at the Rochester Business Institute. aikar: 5: He doesn't know shit from Shinola! ", Definitions include: acronym of "Also Known As.". Definitions include: a despicable person. [4][8] By the 1950s, it was sold as "Shinola Leather and Saddle Soap" by RIT Products, a division of Best Foods. "That yahoo can't tell shit from shinola " "That geologist can't tell schist from shinola." 291 97 Shinola - definition Used as an exclamation, when something bad has, is, or was happening. Submitted by Walter Rader (Editor) from Sacramento, CA, USA on Aug 26 2009 . This phrase is typical of the barrack room vulgarity of WWII, which is where it originated. Reddit In that old expression, "You don't know s*** from Shinola?" what the heck are they talking about? Phrases. Definitions include: to be unintelligent. The suffix -ola is a popular component of trade names in the United States. We will also find out a little bit about the history of the phrase and where it first came from. don't know shit from Shinola phrase. Wow, is that really true? click for more detailed meaning in English, definition, pronunciation and example sentences for no shinola Thanks for the tip." 2. slang Are you being serious? to know what's what; to be intelligent and aware. Naive, stupid. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. That would be awesome! Last edited on Dec 08 2011. Other terms relating to 'intelligent, smart': Other terms relating to 'unintelligent, dumb': Average of 30 votes: doesn't know shit from Shinola phrase. la This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Shinola. .'. That is, if the person had their shoes shined. Not know shit from Shinola slang rude. This leads to the pronunciation of Shinola as shine + ola. Definitions include: Connotes mental, physical, and spiritual bankruptcy. verb to be intelligent. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. Publicize your Discord server on Urban Dictionary in just 3 clicks shit from shinola Did you actually mean sinhala or sunnily? You wouldn't know shit from Shinola, so what do you think you're gonna teach me about fixing a car? 'Shinola' is one option -- get in to view more @ The Web's largest and most authoritative acronyms and abbreviations resource. My wife is in a truck wreck and now she'll die real slow like cause she's cut in half and this is the last time I ever talk to her? The term can be seen recorded as far back at the very early 1900s when it was written in an advertisement. B: "Yeah, no Shinola. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/can%27t+tell+shit+from+Shinola. Definitions include: offensive shade of yellow. Look at other dictionaries: not know (or tell) shit from Shinola vulgar slang be ignorant or innocent. Shinola is a brand of shoe polish. Definitions include: acronym for "bastard operator from hell". See more words with the same meaning: unintelligent, dumb. no shinola meaning and definition: [American slang]exclam. The next is a conversation which is taking place between a boss and his employee. Did they also make the shoe polish. Definitions include: a person with skill in a particular subject or trade. Here are some examples of things you might say which carry the same meaning. ", August 29, 2003, "Spectroscopic Discrimination of Shit from Shinola", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shinola&oldid=1148579583, Chemical companies disestablished in 1960, 1960 disestablishments in New York (state), Products and services discontinued in 1960, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from May 2021, Articles with self-published sources from May 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The phrase was used to a similar effect in, This page was last edited on 7 April 2023, at 01:38. Definitions include: with an ability to handle situations in urban environments. ", A: "My aunt has a cabin we could use for the weekend." rude slang Exceptionally nave, unworldly, ignorant, or undiscerning. Definitions include: to be incredibly stupid. I'm not that young man from Arcola Who didn't know shit from Shinola. aka yapyorsun! I would love to see the ad that might have contained the term. If a person was very stupid, he would polish his shoes with shit and not know the difference. This page is about the various possible meanings of the acronym, abbreviation, shorthand or slang term: Shinola. She has been known as Mary Rogers since her marriage. It's right next to another Detroit success story. Poor Tom doesn't know shit from Shinola. Thanks for the tip. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery, The Road to Hell Is Paved with Good Intentions. Don't let the doorknob hit you where the good Lord split you! For I, the term from s**t to shinola has the same meaning as when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Shinola is a brand of shoe polish. tell shit from shinola meaning and definition: [American slang]Go to know shi.