Associations to the word «Shoehorn»

Wiktionary

SHOEHORN, noun. A tool used to assist putting the foot into a shoe by sliding the heel in.
SHOEHORN, noun. (derogatory) Anything by which a transaction is facilitated; a medium.
SHOEHORN, noun. (obsolete) Anything which draws on or allures; an inducement.
SHOEHORN, verb. (literally) To use a shoehorn.
SHOEHORN, verb. (transitive) To force (something) into (a tight space); to squeeze (something) into (a schedule, etc); to exert great effort to insert or include (something).

Dictionary definition

SHOEHORN, noun. A device used for easing the foot into a shoe.
SHOEHORN, verb. Fit for a specific purpose even when not well suited.

Wise words

Words are always getting conventionalized to some secondary meaning. It is one of the works of poetry to take the truants in custody and bring them back to their right senses.
William Butler Yeats