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Re: The origin of 'gumshoe'

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Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2024 21:31:59 +0000
Subject: Re: The origin of 'gumshoe'
From: HenHa...@dev.null (HenHanna)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
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by: HenHanna - Sun, 10 Mar 2024 21:31 UTC

Jack wrote:

> On Tue, 21 Dec 2021 12:46:48 -0800 (PST), bruce bowser
> <bruce2bowser@gmail.com> wrote:

>>On Tuesday, June 23, 1992 at 1:01:52 AM UTC-4, Steven Malikoff wrote:
>>> pl...@Ra.MsState.Edu (patrick lane parker) writes:
>>> : I was curious as to the origin of the word gumshoe.
>>> : does anyone here know?
>>> :
>>> : pat
>>> Hmmm.. (assume we are talking about *shoes* here, and not the brand name
>>> of anything!)
>>> ..could it have something to do with the materials they were made
>>> from? I'm pretty sure that gutta-percha (?sp) may have been used for the
>>> soles, and as this is a rubber substance then this seems quite possible for
>>> the 'gum' in the name.
>>> Steve.
>>> ste...@syacus.acus.oz.au (no silly disclaimers.)
>>
>>That's true. Its named after a type of shoe brand. Even though you hear phrases like: "good old fashioned gumshoe detective work".

> Etymonline agrees:

> 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

i see... i always pictured a Poor sap

(like the (smiling) guy who gets killed at the beginning of [Maltese Falcon])

who pounds the pavement, and often gets Chewing-gum stuck on his shoe.

Be careful when you bite into your hamburger. -- Derek Bok

interests / alt.usage.english / Re: The origin of 'gumshoe'

Subject	Author
Re: The origin of 'gumshoe'	HenHanna