What does the expression "to shine someone on" mean?

Hell, Its all blue potatoes to me.

Aaaah, very clever.

I always thought it meant you'd been lied to, and someone managed to take care of some situation as a result, which I think is the same as your 'smoke' definition.

I've often wondered. From context, it doesn't sound like your treating them really respectfully if you "shine them on."

urband dictionary has this to say:

1. Getting your Shine on
The act of drinking so much the drunkenness actually begins to shine off of you. This feat is often times accomplished by consuming a bottle of Jameson in an hour. Individuals with their shine on have a sparkle in their eyes complimented by permagrin.

Many individuals pass out prior to getting their shine on because they are pussys.

It was a semi-popular expression among my counter-culture pals in Eugene in the mid-70s. I would equate it to "blow it off" today. As in: "I just decided to shine it on" = "I ignored it."

Kicky, when a girl tells you she's interested and wants you to call her, but she never answers the phone or returns your messages and makes excuses when you run into each other, she's shining you on.

Thats hilarious!

Actually, isn't the correct phrase "shine someone off" not "on"?

I think it's "on". But I could be wrong. And thanks. Now I get it. It's the same as blowing someone off. I knew it had something to do with somebody blowing something...

It was my belief that the phrase "to shine someone on" came from law enforcement, where officers routinely use their flashlights to indicate to drivers that they should proceed past the scene of an accident. Therefore, it means to ignore a person or situation, putting it past you. At least, that was what I got from some of Joseph Wambaugh's work.

And really, don't we all shine on? Like the moon and the stars and the sun?

I was thinking more like a crazy diamond.

That's a very good theory.

Are you a bovine vet?

to "shine someone on" is to lie to them or to purposefully deceive them, to tell a tall tale. To lead someone on. A slang synonym/expression would be to "B.S." someone or to "pull their leg."

Shine 'em on comes from American Black culture. When someone shines 'em on or shines you on it started during the slave days when blacks in order to not talk back or disagree with their white masters because if they did they would get a beating most likely so whatever was said was (fakely) agreed upon and no matter what was said the slave male where it all started would say something like OH..yes sir of course sir thats great sir or master or whatever just going along with whatever was said and usually with big smile of agreement on the slaves face but the smile was really the slaves way of feeling he was making a total fool of the master for the master believed this bullshit that was intentionally being said in order to mock and in order to entertain themselves....it is sort of like the oppressed Irish under britsh rule with what the refer to as blarney which is nothing but hogwash but very entertaining for those oppressed irish and safe way to vent without the boss or superior having a clue this was nothing but bullshit...now aways especially when a cop stops a black man especially IF the black man has something to hide but even if the white police cop there is nothing to find this shinin 'em on is a way for blacks to amuse themselves and make fun of authority without 'acting out their frtustrations. Anyone can shine someone on but i know for a fact it all started with blacks during slavery times i am not black but my late husband was and worked at a state mental institution as a shrink and most of the staff was black and my husband was blond and blue ezes and got along super with blacks because he loves their honest anger and realism compard to most other culutres and this is when he first heard it and i thought it was so cool so any time one is needing to communicate with someone who is ones boss or other authority figure or for a job intervewi or in order to not get into a physical fight what i heard is to instead of fighting them with fistscuffs just SHINE ME ON with a big smile on yz face yeah man...just shine 'em on...it works every time.

that is what I though also. I been using shining off , but now I'm confused about it. If it's shining off or shining on. I mean shining off sounds more correct to me, because it's like brushing off not brushing on right? I don't know.

I'm old :-) so I know - the expression started as "shine on". But language changes. We used to say something was "based on" something else, but now people say "based off", meaning the same thing. So -- it's all good!

I had to google this blue potatoes bit. I was online trying to research the phrase "shine me on" for its origin and I stumbled onto your forum. Y'all made it to the lime light. Now quit shining me on about how this is gonna become a phrase my mother would say. I think the phrase, "shine on" lies between being lied to and being conned.