Idiom
as ever trod shoe-leather
Meaning
As ever existed or lived.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He is the kindest person as ever trod shoe-leather.”
“He is as mean a boss as ever trod shoe-leather.”
“She is as talented a singer as ever trod shoe-leather.”
“She is as honest a politician as ever trod shoe-leather, which makes her very popular with voters.”
“My grandfather was as hardworking a farmer as ever trod shoe-leather, spending every sunrise in the fields until he turned eighty.”
“The local baker is as generous a soul as ever trod shoe-leather, often giving free bread to families who are struggling.”
“The old captain was as brave a sailor as ever trod shoe-leather, having survived countless storms on the open sea.”
Examples
simple
“He is the kindest person as ever trod shoe-leather.”
“He is as mean a boss as ever trod shoe-leather.”
“She is as talented a singer as ever trod shoe-leather.”
contextual
“She is as honest a politician as ever trod shoe-leather, which makes her very popular with voters.”
“My grandfather was as hardworking a farmer as ever trod shoe-leather, spending every sunrise in the fields until he turned eighty.”
“The local baker is as generous a soul as ever trod shoe-leather, often giving free bread to families who are struggling.”
complex
“The old captain was as brave a sailor as ever trod shoe-leather, having survived countless storms on the open sea.”
Origin
The expression draws upon the image of walking upon the earth, where treading shoe-leather serves as a metonym for human existence. To tread leather is to move, and to move is to be alive. The phrase functions as a superlative of character, suggesting that since the invention of the cobbler's trade, no finer specimen of humanity has yet managed to wear down a sole.
Key words
Related idioms
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