Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One who heels shoes.
- noun Informal A ward heeler.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A cock that strikes well with his heels.
- noun A quick runner.
- noun [Cf. LG. hakken-kiker (lit. ‘heel-watcher’: see
keek ) and hakken-treder (lit. ‘heel-treader’: seetread ), a lackey (who follows at the heels of his master).] One who follows at the heels of another; an unscrupulous or disreputable follower or hanger-on of a professional politician or “boss,” or of a party.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A cock that strikes well with his heels or spurs.
- noun Political Cant, U. S. A dependent and subservient hanger-on of a political patron.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
gamecock that strikes well with itsheels orspurs . - noun US, slang, politics, dated A
dependent andsubservient hanger-on of a politicalpatron .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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That was your 'heeler' -- the man you had here when I came.
The Price Francis Lynde 1893
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The only identification on the heeler was a local rabies tag, but it was current, and the collar new, so somebody cares about you, girl.
grouse Diary Entry grouse 2005
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In explaining the term ward heeler, you described a heeler as “derived from a dog that a master brings to heel,” used to describe “a minor politician who slavishly followed his ward leader.”
No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003
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In explaining the term ward heeler, you described a heeler as “derived from a dog that a master brings to heel,” used to describe “a minor politician who slavishly followed his ward leader.”
No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003
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In explaining the term ward heeler, you described a heeler as “derived from a dog that a master brings to heel,” used to describe “a minor politician who slavishly followed his ward leader.”
No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003
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Father got vexed at last and makes a sign to old Crib; he fetches him such a 'heeler' as gave him something else to think of for a few miles.
Robbery under Arms; a story of life and adventure in the bush and in the Australian goldfields Rolf Boldrewood 1870
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To have fine clothes, drink champagne, and pose in a fashionable bar-room in the height of the season -- is not this the apotheosis of the "heeler" and the ward "worker"?
The Complete Project Gutenberg Writings of Charles Dudley Warner Charles Dudley Warner 1864
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To have fine clothes, drink champagne, and pose in a fashionable bar-room in the height of the season -- is not this the apotheosis of the "heeler" and the ward "worker"?
Their Pilgrimage Charles Dudley Warner 1864
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Bob, his Aussie heeler, usually sat in the passenger seat.
Bird Cloud Annie Proulx 2011
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Five Steps to Train Your Dog to Come When Called beagle bulldog mix, border collie blue heeler mix, boxer dalmatian mix, chow shepherd mix, German Shepherd, Lab retriever mix, mixed bred dogs, mixed breeds
john commented on the word heeler
“He made it clear that the issue was not Mr. Burris’s qualifications, but Gov. Blagojevich’s standing as a desperate ward heeler who’s lost all credibility.�?
The New York Times, The Latest From Illinois, December 30, 2008
January 1, 2009