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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Sept 24, 2018 20:42:40 GMT
I thought this could be a fun place for us to thrown in some of our random 0ff-the-cuff questions that tend to come up when we're writing/editing. I will go first:
Is shoe polish always black? I ask because I describe a character's hair as looking like it was slicked back with black shoe polish. But I'm not sure if I need to use black if shoe polish is always that color.
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Post by prolificwriter on Sept 24, 2018 21:29:22 GMT
That’s a perfect question for Google.  Shoe polish comes in different colors, because people wear different colored shoes! At least that’s the gist I got from Google... |
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Sept 24, 2018 22:17:13 GMT
Huh, I have never used shoe polish myself, and the only time I've ever seen it in a store we had one kind that was black, so I didn't know they made different colors. Different polishes for different colored shoes does make sense though. (nods)
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DD
Full Member
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Post by DD on Sept 24, 2018 22:22:28 GMT
They make different colors. I have personally only ever seen black, brown, white, and a clear, all-purpose polish, but at the time I was wearing shoes that had to be polished, I lived in a very, very small town with tiny stores that probably didn't have the best selection. The colored polishes are good b/c they hide nicks and scrapes on shoes that have seen better days, whereas the clear polish doesn't. It just makes your worn out shoes look shiny.  |
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Post by Jeff Tanyard on Sept 25, 2018 4:43:38 GMT
at the time I was wearing shoes that had to be polished
Military?
I know the ROTC guys in college had to keep their shoes shined. They had to do PT at the crack of dawn, too. I didn't envy them.
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DD
Full Member
Posts: 180
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Post by DD on Sept 25, 2018 20:41:13 GMT
at the time I was wearing shoes that had to be polished
Military?
I know the ROTC guys in college had to keep their shoes shined. They had to do PT at the crack of dawn, too. I didn't envy them.
No, I was just a little girl wearing scuffed-up patent leather Mary Jane-style shoes. My older brother was in ROTC, and we'd sit down and polish our shoes together before bed. He was a good teacher. He also taught me that if you're out of shoe polish, you can do an emergency shoe-shine with a piece of biscuit b/c of all the shortening/lard in them. I should work that into a book somewhere, lol. |
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Post by theprosepolisher on Oct 5, 2018 19:51:39 GMT
Military?
I know the ROTC guys in college had to keep their shoes shined. They had to do PT at the crack of dawn, too. I didn't envy them.
No, I was just a little girl wearing scuffed-up patent leather Mary Jane-style shoes. My older brother was in ROTC, and we'd sit down and polish our shoes together before bed. He was a good teacher. He also taught me that if you're out of shoe polish, you can do an emergency shoe-shine with a piece of biscuit b/c of all the shortening/lard in them. I should work that into a book somewhere, lol. That brought back some memories!!! I can still see my Dad diligently polishing his shoes before church, a social event, or before the work week. He showed me how to use a bit of Vaseline on my Mary Janes. As to the original question, I've never heard a reference to slicking hair back with shoe polish. I've read about hair cream or possibly Vaseline, but not shoe polish. |
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Post by corabuhlert on Oct 6, 2018 1:18:28 GMT
Black shoe polish was used to colour hair during WWII, when better options weren't available.
And yes, shoe polish comes in different colours. I rarely use it these days, because I rarely wear the sort of shoes that need it. But I remember it from childhood.
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Oct 6, 2018 1:55:35 GMT
Black shoe polish was used to colour hair during WWII, when better options weren't available. And yes, shoe polish comes in different colours. I rarely use it these days, because I rarely wear the sort of shoes that need it. But I remember it from childhood. And this character may have grown up during war time or perhaps his parents did and they held on to some war-time customs. |
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Post by kateelizabeth on Oct 6, 2018 16:59:53 GMT
My husband had burgundy shoe polish, besides the black, years ago. I always used white for my son's saddle oxfords for church when he was little, and I'm almost positive that we had taupe for my daughter's dress shoes.
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Post by writeway on Oct 6, 2018 20:29:13 GMT
No, shoe polish comes in all colors. LOL! I remember when I was a child seeing white shoe polish for the first time. I think my mom bought some for her sneakers. But yeah, any color a shoe is, there is a polish for it.
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