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You are here: Home / Odds / What Does Sabotage Have To Do with Shoes?

What Does Sabotage Have To Do with Shoes?

May 16, 2020 by Karen Hill

In French, a sabot is a wooden shoe. Many people believe that the word sabotage originated in the 1800s, when French workers threw their wooden shoes into machinery in order to shut down
factories.

But sabot was also used for the attachments that hold railroad rails to the wooden cross ties. During a railroad strike in France, some workers cut these sabots in order to bring rail lines to a halt.

Today, the word sabotage is used for any deliberate destruction of machinery, railroads, bridges, or other structures, especially by workers or by enemy agents during wartime.

Related Facts

  • Where does the word "sabotage" come from and What does sabotage mean in French?
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  • Where does the expression "to have one's heart in one's shoes" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the phrase "to wait for dead men's shoes" come from and What does it mean?
  • What Does the Phrase "Goody Two Shoes" Mean and Where Did the Saying Originate?
  • History of Shoes

Filed Under: Odds

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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