Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

white-shoe

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.22 in modern English

Syllables: white-shoe
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A stereotypical male Ivy League college student.

American usage; Slang

adj

Effeminate or immature.

American usage; Slang

adj

Establishment; pertaining to mainstream US social power-structures.

American usage; Slang

Example Sentences

"Dulles had been a junior diplomat after World War I and a white-shoe Wall Street lawyer in the Depression."
"In “Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change,” Ellen K. Pao traces a journey of disillusionment that culminated in the lawsuit she brought against her employer, the white-shoe venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, for gender discrimination."

Etymology

For the noun, from their traditional footwear. For the adjective, from the preponderance of Ivy League graduates hired by such firms.

Usage

American usage
Slang

Inflected Forms

white-shoes (plural) more white-shoe (comparative) most white-shoe (superlative)

Phrases

white-shoe firm

Questions

What does white-shoe mean?: A stereotypical male Ivy League college student.
Where does white-shoe come from?: For the noun, from their traditional footwear. For the adjective, from the preponderance of Ivy League graduates hired by such firms.

How to pronounce white-shoe

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