"wearing shoes," late 14c. (in dry-shod and wet-shod), from Middle English past participle of shoe (v.), surviving chiefly in compounds, such as roughshod, slipshod, etc.

1570s, "to put a cork sole on a shoe," from cork (n.)). Meaning "to stop with a cork" is from 1640s. Figurative sense "to stop or check" is from 1640s. Meaning "blacken with burnt cork," especially the face, to perform in theatrical blackface, is from 1836. Related: Corked; corking.

1590s, "a sneak, one who sneaks," agent noun from sneak (v.). The meaning "rubber-soled shoe" is attested by 1895, American English; so called because the shoe was noiseless. Earlier sneak (1862) was used in the same sense:

The night-officer is generally accustomed to wear a species of India-rubber shoes or goloshes on her feet. These are termed 'sneaks' by the women [of Brixton Prison]. ["Female Life in Prison," 1862]

Related: Sneakers. See also Plimsoll; another early name for them was tackies (1902), from tacky (adj.1).

"long-pointed toe of a shoe," mid-15c., from Old French Poulaine, literally "Poland," hence "in the Polish fashion." The style was supposed in Western Europe to have originated there. Compare Cracow.

"loose slipper," 1560s, from French mule "slipper," from Latin mulleus calceus "red high-soled shoe," worn by Roman patricians, from mullus "red" (see mullet (n.1)). Related: Mules.

1850, "mend or patch up again," from re- "again" + vamp (v.) "patch up, replace the upper front part of a shoe." An earlier verb was new-vamp (1630s). Modern use is typically figurative. Related: Revamped; revamping.

"strap or thong of a sandal or shoe," late 14c., lachet, from Old French lachet, variant of lacet, diminutive of las, laz "noose, string, cord, tie" (see lace (n.)). Spelling altered perhaps by influence of latch.

brand of shoe polish, by 1904, from shine in the "shoeshine" sense + commercial suffix -ola. The company that made it dates to 1877 and seems to have ceased production c. 1960, but by then the word was proverbial for what you don't know something isn't.

"to mend, put back in order, restore to a sound, good, or complete condition," mid-14c., reparen, from Old French reparer "repair, mend" (12c.) and directly from Latin reparare "restore, put back in order," from re- "again" (see re-) + parare "make ready, prepare" (from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produce, procure").

The sense of "make amends for injury by an equivalent, make good" is by 1560s. Related: Repaired; repairing.

also wing-tip, 1867, "tip of a wing" (originally of insects; by 1870 of birds), from wing (n.) + tip (n.1). Of airplane wings from 1909. As a type of shoe with a back-curving toe cap suggestive of a bird's wingtip, from 1928. Related: Wing-tipped.