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.
Related Posts
-
Why Does the Winner of the Indianapolis 500 Drink Milk and How Did the Tradition Originate?
After winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1936, Louis Meyer was photographed drinking his favorite beverage, buttermilk. An executive from what is now the American Dairy Association saw the picture in the paper. Realizing…
-
Why did Nobel Prize Winner Juan Ramon Jimenez leave Spain during the Spanish civil war?
Among the people who fled Spain during the Spanish civil war was a future Nobel Prize winner: poet Juan Ramon Jimenez (1881-1958). He was one of many intellectuals opposed to Franco who emigrated…
-
What Does the Phrase “Let’s Get Down to Brass Tacks” Mean and Where Did the Expression Originate?
In the days of the general store, cloth came in bulk and was sold by the yard. The storekeeper, who quickly became expert at measuring, often used the length of his arm as…
-
Where Did the Expression “In Hot Water” Originate When Someone Is In Trouble and What Does the Phrase Mean?
Before there were trials by jury, there were trials by ordeal. The ordeal depended on the crime, but if it carried the death penalty the accused could find himself in hot water. The…
-
What Does the Expression “When the Chips Are Down” Mean and Where Did the Phrase Originate?
Chips are used as a substitute for money in gambling. When things aren't going well a player's pile of chips dwindles until he loses everything or makes a recovery. How he acts under…
-
How Did the Phrase “Strike While the Iron is Hot” Originate and What Does the Expression Mean?
To strike while the iron is hot means to act quickly before an opportunity is gone. In medieval Europe, blacksmiths worked red-hot iron by hand from a forge. They shaped the heated metal…
