shoes | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

58 entries found.

1570s, "wearing slippers or loose shoes," from slip (v.) + shod "wearing shoes." Sense of "slovenly, careless" is from 1815, probably from the notion of appearing like one in slippers, or whose shoes are down at the heels.

strapless (adj.)

1824 of shoes, 1839 of trousers, 1920 of gowns, 1931 of brassieres, from strap (n.) + -less.

strappy (adj.)

of shoes, etc., by 1970, from strap (n.) + -y (2).

goody (n.2)

1550s, a shortened form of goodwife, a term of civility applied to a married woman in humble life; hence Goody Two-shoes, name of the heroine in 1760s children's story ("The History of little Goody Two Shoes; otherwise called Mrs. Margery Two Shoes") who exulted upon acquiring a second shoe.

shoe-shine (adj.)

1911, from shoe (n.) + shine (n.). One who shines shoes for money was a shoeblacker (1755).

gumshoe (n.)

"plainclothes detective," 1906, from the rubber-soled shoes they wore (allowing stealthy movement), which were so called from 1863 (gums "rubber shoes" is attested by 1859); from gum (n.1) + shoe (n.).

chork (v.)

mid-15c., now Scottish, "to make the noise which the feet do when the shoes are full of water" [Jamieson]. Related: Chorked; chorking.

souter (n.)

"maker or mender of shoes," Old English sutere, from Latin sutor "shoemaker," from suere "to sew, stitch" (from PIE root *syu- "to bind, sew").

clump (v.2)

"walk heavily and clumsily," 1660s, imitative, or perhaps from the notion of walking in wooden shoes (see clump (n.)). Related: Clumped; clumping.

Cracow

the older Englishing of Krakow, the city in Poland. The long-toed, pointed shoes or boots called crakows that were popular in England 15c. are attested from late 14c., so called because they were supposed to originate there. They also yielded a Middle English verb, crakouen "to provide (shoes or boots) with long, pointed toes" (early 15c.). Related: Cracovian.

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