shadowbox

See also: shadow-box and shadow box

English

Alternative forms

• shadow-box, shadow box

Etymology

shadow +‎ box

Noun

shadowbox (plural shadowboxes)

1. A diorama or shallow display case, usually with a glass front.
   • 1936 May, “Shadowbox Tops Stairs”, in Chain Store Age, volume 12:

     Simply constructed of wood, a shadowbox sign frame 6 inches deep, 11 inches wide and 70 inches long is suspended over the stairway of the Scott Sotre, 124 Fifth Avenue, Jamestown, N.D.

   • 1972, Susanne Stevenson, The Art of Making Houses Liveable, page 174:

     To build a shadowbox into the normal sort of hollow-core wall, we first have to make darned sure where we want the thing, for once you start making a shadowbox, there's no going back unless you panel over the whole area with a new surface.

   • 1980, Robert H. Schleicher, Dollhouses & Dioramas, page 102:

     If you are going to make shadowboxes your hobby, your first consideration must be the room in which you want to place the shadowbox, not the room you want to build inside the shadowbox.

   • 2000, Katherine Scott Sturdevant, Bringing Your Family History to Life Through Social History, page 80:

     He put the shadowbox in Daddy's hands . When my father opened his eyes and recognized a display case neatly arranged with new or nearly new specimens of all of his missing World War II medals , badges , ribbons , and insignia, my father literally leapt from his seat with joy.

2. A rectangular display area that is set off with a frame or drop shadow.
   • 2013, Yuri Shumakov, Katrin Shumakov, Origami Shadowbox Frames: Original Approach to Display Your Art:

     This book will show you how to make fabulous origami shadowbox frames to display your art in a beautiful and original way!

   • 2015, Nancy C. Muir, Computers For Seniors For Dummies, page 294:

     Display the movie with a shadowbox effect by clicking the Aspect Ratio button.of mine Luisa Ramirez.

   • 2017, Xiomara Roma, The Trudy Silverheels Scrapbook, page 88:

     This will eventually be framed in a shadowbox, I imagine.

3. A box with a light inside used for reading X-ray images.
   • 1962, Records and Briefs New York State Appellate Division, page 475:

     Q. All right. Would they be of any significance in showing the jury through a shadowbox? A. I think they helped confirm the diagnosis.

   • 1971, Personal Injury Annual, page 436:

     Q. Doctor, insofar as the condition of her back is concerned, would you be good enough to put the shadowbox up again, please?

   • 2003, Irving Goldstein, Fred Lane, Goldstein Trial Technique - Volume 2, page 12-46:

     To what extent is the x-ray shadowbox used in the medical profession?

4. A shade that surrounds a lit display or screen to make it easier to read in bright environments.
   • 1947, The Architects Manual of Engineered Sound Systems, page 87:

     In cases where it is difficult or impossible to reduce room illumination to this value, viewing of the projected image may be improved by providing the screen with a light shield, commonly known as a shadowbox .

   • 1982, IEEE Conference Record--abstracts, page 80:

     A shadowbox extending 270 ° around the diode showed that the beam was reasonably uniform.

Translations

diorama — see diorama

Verb

shadowbox (third-person singular simple present shadowboxes, present participle shadowboxing, simple past and past participle shadowboxed)

1. (boxing, martial arts) To practice moves without an actual opponent, often in front of a mirror.
   • 1975, Stephen Dunning, Literature for Adolescents, page 392:

     The fighter starts to shadowbox in front of them.

   • 2009, Jim Lynch, Border Songs:

     McAfferty giggled, then stepped back and shadowboxed, jabbing the air with his little fists.

   • 2018, Glen Sharp, Punching from the Shadows, page 117:

     He shadowboxed harder than anyone I had seen before, and I soon developed that habit, too.

   He was shadowboxing to keep fit and practice before the big fight.

2. To engage in evasive maneuvers; to avoid addressing something directly.
   • 1931, Pagany - Volume 2, Issues 1-3, page 34:

     He wrapped himself forever in the garden of his mind showered with golden cataclysms, sun-explosive and shadowboxed all patentcy of death.

   • 1991, John Grisham, The Firm, 1st edition, New York: Doubleday:

     But, he knew, like all the other firms they had to shadowbox around the issue until things got awkward and it was apparent they had discussed everything in the world but money.

   • 2005, Mitchell B. Lerner, Looking Back at LBJ: White House Politics in a New Light, page 133:

     The situation now clearly demanded the U.S. Army. Yet throughout the day Republican George Romney and the White House shadowboxed.

3. (figuratively) Argue with an imaginary enemy.
   • 1968, United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Small Business. Subcommittee on Retailing, Distribution, and Marketing Practices, Log-exporting Problems, page 583:

     Without being shadowboxed into psychedelic fears about losing Japan as a trader or as a friend — let us remind our Government today that Japan wants what we have and we want them to get what we have but not at the expense of our economy or at an unfair price.

   • 2012 July 28, Gulliver [username], “Who Gets To Be a Geek? Anyone Who Wants to Be”, in Whatever‎^[1], WordPress, Comments:

     No one here is calling for Joe Peacock to be ostracized. We’re calling him on his bullshit. Brave of you to shadowbox all those non-existent censors though.

   • 2021 July 14, Beverly B. Martin, “Drew Adams v. School Board of St. Johns County, Florida”, in Appeals from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida‎^[2], USCA11 Case 18-13592; D.C. Docket No. 3:17-cv-00739-TJC-JBT, page 19:

     The majority of the pages in the dissent are directed at an opinion no longer in existence. Indeed much of the dissent continues to shadowbox with an opinion we never wrote.

4. To display in a shadowbox.
   • 2004, Leisure Arts, Inc, Award-Winning Scrapbook Pages, page 42:

     This is also the time to decide which photos will be shadowboxed, which ones will be popped up, and which will lie flat on the paper.

   • 2008, Holly Black, Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, page 45:

     The trailer walls were covered with collectable plates, framed fan art, and shadowboxed phasers and tricorders.

   • 2009, Tris Hussey, Create Your Own Blog:

     Awesome is shadowboxed images that float above the site and make your image pop off the screen.

Translations

to practice boxing moves

• Finnish: varjonyrkkeillä

See also

• (argue with an imaginary enemy): tilt at windmills