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Glite Dictionary
cobbler's last

cobbler's last

9.9
A solid shape like a foot used to make or fix shoes
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːblərz læst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : forma de zapatero
  • The cobbler's last is essential for shaping leather into a proper shoe.

Examples

  • He inherited his grandfather's old cobbler's last and used it in his workshop.

  • She admired the cobbler's lasts displayed in the shop.

  • A cobbler's last can come in various sizes to match different feet.

  • The cobbler's last was essential for making the new shoes.

  • A cobbler's last can come in various sizes to match different feet.

  • The cobbler's last is essential for shaping leather into a proper shoe.

  • He inherited his grandfather's old cobbler's last and used it in his workshop.

Synonyms

last
vscobbler's last
  • Specialized
2 8.5

A block shaped like a human foot used to make or fix shoes

is the occupationally named version rather than the general tool name
shoemaker's last
vscobbler's last
  • Specialized
9.9

A solid foot-shaped form that people who make shoes use to shape or repair shoes

is the same object but uses a different occupational name

Surface Forms

cobbler's last singular
cobbler's lasts plural

Morphology

cobbler's + last

The phrase is directly compositional: 'cobbler's' indicates possession by a shoemaker and 'last' names the foot-shaped form used in making shoes, so a learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning. This is a concrete, language-internal tool name (and parallels exist in many languages), making the expression readily transparent to B1 learners familiar with the noun sense of 'last'.

Etymology

Cobbler's last comes from the tool a shoemaker used: a solid block shaped like a human foot called a last. A cobbler would put leather on that form 'to make or repair shoes', so the name now simply means that foot-shaped form.