A now-obsolete piece of British slang from the cobbling trade — a lad of wax was a male shoemaker or cobbler, referencing the waxed thread cobblers used to stitch leather. The phrase has a whimsical, almost affectionate quality to it, suggesting someone skilled with their hands in a humble craft. It belongs to the rich tradition of old British occupational slang, where workers nicknamed each other by the tools or materials of their trade. You won't hear it in modern shoe shops, but it's a fun relic of working-class London street language.
The market was full of traders, including the old lad of wax who'd been resoling boots in that spot for thirty years.
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(UK, obsolete, slang) A male cobbler .
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