as ever trod shoe-leather

Treading shoe-leather refers to walking, in the sense of “walking on this earth”.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əz ɛvə ˈtɹɒd ˈʃuːˌlɛðə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /əz ɛvɚ ˈtɹɑd ˈʃuːˌlɛðɚ/

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• Hyphenation: as ever trod shoe-lea‧ther

as ever trod shoe-leather

1. (idiomatic, archaic) As ever existed or lived.
   • 1767, Andrew Barton [pseudonym; Thomas Forrest or Francis Hopkinson?], The Disappointment, or, The Force of Credulity: A New American Comic-opera, of Two Acts, New York [i.e., Philadelphia, Penn.]: Printed [by John Dunlap?], →OCLC; The Disappointment, or, The Force of Credulity: A New American Comic-opera, in Three Acts, 2nd edition, Philadelphia, Penn.: Printed for and sold by Francis Shallus […], 1796, →OCLC, page 34:

     As grate a rascal, as ever trod shoe-leather.

   • 1809 February, E[nos] Bronson et al., “On the Marriage Manufactory at Gretna Green”, in Select Reviews, and Spirit of the Foreign Magazines, volume I, Philadelphia, Pa.: From the Lorenzo Press of E. Bronson; published by Hopkins and Earle, […], →OCLC, page 118:

     As handsome a gentleman, to be sure, as ever trod shoe leather! I wonder that old folks can be so very, very blind!

   • 1825, [John Neal], chapter XXVI, in Brother Jonathan: Or, The New Englanders: In Three Volumes, volume II, Edinburgh: William Blackwood; London: T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC, page 446:

     "He is a brave Indian, sir." – "Oh – is that all?" – "As brave a man, as ever trod shoe leather." – "Hum!" – "Yes." – "But Indians – do they tread shoe leather?" – "He's very brave, I mean – very." – "Why not say so, then?" – "I do."

   • 1830, [Theodore Edward Hook], chapter II, in Maxwell. [...] In Three Volumes, volume II, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, pages 54–55:

     [I]t's his temper as has saved his life; he's the best-temperdest cretur as ever trod shoe leather.

   • 1855 October 6, [Elizabeth Gaskell], “Half a Life-time Ago”, in Charles Dickens, editor, Household Words: A Weekly Journal, volume XII, number 289, London: [Household Words] Office (printed by Bradbury and Evans), →OCLC, page 236:

     I've ne'er heard his name named since I saw him go out of the yard as stout a man as ever trod shoe-leather.

   • c. 1855, Lyman Beecher, “The Revival”, in Charles Beecher, editor, Autobiography, Correspondence, etc., of Lyman Beecher, D.D., volume II, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, published 1865, →OCLC, page 72:

     It was as finely organized a Church as ever trod shoe-leather.

   • 1865 September 23, “Mrs. Brown and the Emperor of the French”, in Fun, London: Published (for the proprietors) by Thomas Baker, →OCLC, page 17:

     I'm sure I never shall forget the turn young SIMMONS gave me when he came in with that paper as he'd been and copied out of a winder thro' being in a west-end house, tho' livin' at home with his mother, as steady a woman as ever trod shoe-leather, [...]

• as ever trod shoe leather

• shoe-leather
• tread the boards

• that ever walked on two legs