2.24.2006

Important questions that go sadly unaddressed.

Can someone please tell me how the expression "goody 2 shoes" originated? I mean, who the hell doesn't wear 2 shoes? It makes no sense! I know that there are people who wear no shoes, but if it were considered particularly "good" or well behaved to wear shoes, which it isn't, then the expression would be, "goody shoes", or "goody shod", why the need to mention that the goody goody indeed has both shoes on? That should be obvious.

If one were to go around with one shoe on, surely they would be considered more odd than bad.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

All you have to do is a google search. It's simple.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/6/messages/437.html

Michelle said...

I've figured it out!

Two shoes doesn't really mean 2 shoes, but 2 pairs of shoes.

This means the wearer can wear shoes that shoes that are fitting to the environment which they are in, and also that they keep both pairs of shoes relatively clean. Particulary if one pair of shoes is for rambling in the woods, thus keeping the going to town shoes looking presentable.

We're talking the old days here, where many people only had one pair of shoes, for all occasions.

Therefore the owners of 2 pairs of shoes were well presented, well groomed, which gives off the impression of being morally good, cleanliness is next to godliness sort of thing.

It's lame isn't it?

Ronald said...

It derives from the Sado Masochistic practice of beating buttocks with footwear. It's the norm for the submissive to be thrashed severely on and around the arse with a flexible slipper. But if the governess, or mistress deems the underling to have been particularly naughty, then, employing her assistant, otherwise known as 'government aid' (sorry), the wretched masochist is set about by both shoe-wielding attackers. And it's not uncommon for the naughty boy, when realising his fate, to exclaim, with tremulous excitement, 'oh goody... two shoes!'. How ironic that nowadays this has become synonomous with purity of thought and action.