The confusion around a shoo-in is in the spelling, which is often written “shoe-in.”
The shoe isn’t footwear. Instead, it’s spelled as in shooing something to make it move quickly.
The term “shoo-in” comes from dishonest horse racing.
After conspiring to bet on a probable loser, the jockeys hold back their mounts and urge or “shoo in” a chosen horse through the pack, where it will cross the finish line first and pay off at great odds.
