rub shoulders

rub shoulders

1. (idiomatic, usually followed by with) To associate closely; to socialize or mingle.
   • 1887, Robert Louis Stevenson, Memories and Portraits, ch. 1:

     All classes rub shoulders on the greasy benches.

   • 1894, Henry James, The Death of the Lion, ch. 6:

     In this establishment, as everybody knows, on occasions when the crush is great, the animals rub shoulders freely with the spectators.

   • 1915, Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Lost Prince, ch. 24:

     [N]ow and then the two dress themselves roughly, like common men, and go out into the city to see what it's like to rub shoulders with the rest of the world.

   • 2010 March 10, Lori Ioannou, "Use Social Media to Build Your Brand," Time:

     It pays to network and rub shoulders virtually with potential customers on the Web.

• rub elbows

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