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Joined: Oct 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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M-W10th says pumps--(2)[[from the Fr. colloq., pompeboot, shoe, lit. a shoe that pumps in the water! ]]a low cut shoe with out straps or ties. pumps are similar to what in the UK is a man's dress shoe,(ie, what in US is called black tie, or tux shoe) only with a heel!
how about brogues-- a gaelic word going back to the IE (see breech) the word meant leg covering, but now means a heavy work shoe, or an heavy oxford with decorative perforations and a wing tip.
ok-- why are solid lace on shoes called oxfords (why not cambridges?) and Wing tips? and what about Ghillies?
and sneakers.. ( in my youth, the sneaker of choice, hi-black cons--high black Converse (brand) basketball shoes.. made from black canvas, not really a shoe) or desert boots.. (a low,(ankle high) lace on boot, made from split skin, or suede, in a light tan color, with gum soles..
my kid's wore engineers boots and dr. martins.. i still like keds the best of any sneaker (trainer) style..
and what are the mexican shoes, the ones of woven leather, (begins with an H...the beachboys named them in one of their songs..)
we had great fun with all the names of zori/flip-flop/thongs. i am sure we all know more words for shoes than we realize.. and i wonder if we all mean the same thing.. lets find some words, (include links to commercial sites if needed to illustrate -- just so long as you don't work there, or end up shilling the shoes!)
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2001
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That would be huaraches, helen. Huarache in Spanish simply means any type of sandal. 
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289 |
Ledasdottir alludes to the dress/black tie/tux shoe for men. You rarely see these anymore, for good reason. That's a black high-gloss (usually patent leather) shoe with a very low vamp, plain toe, and a grosgrain bow. In other words what is often called, in the U.S., a Mary Jane pump. Few men nowadays have the nerve to wear them. I, now, possess and occasionally wear with black tie, a pair of these which do not have the bow. They aren't very comfortable; the toe part only covers your toes, leaving most of your foot showing and therefore they are a little hard to keep on. Also they are pointed in the front and therefore cramp your toes.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
I'd agree about the contraction of "plimsolls" Plimsoll: British, American and Australian sneaker, Australian also runner, Australian also sandshoe noun [C] a flat light shoe which has a top made of heavy cloth and a bottom made of rubber, and which is worn esp. for sports Plimsolls may either be fastened with laces, or have a strip of elastic at the front so that they can be slipped on.} http://dictionary.cambridge.org
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Joined: Oct 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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yes Bob, now add a high heel, and this is a pump! now you you understand why your wife used to complain about her shoes all the time, and slip them off as soon as she sat down.. and remember she was expected to dance (backwards,no less) and look elegant in them!
actually, i always think a mary-jane has a strap across the instep (i have 2 pairs of mary-janes) and a dancing shoe, is a mary-jane with a low (high) heel-- about 1.5 inches.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819 |
my son, 6 foot 7 inches tall, and size 15 shoes,I'm curious about the common use of the singular, "foot" following a number larger than one. Most people do it, yet it seems odd to me. It sounds to me as though he were seven inches tall, but you had to buy him three pairs of shoes. 
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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but we do it all the time.. i don't think i'd touch this idiom with a 10 foot pole, nor my 11 foot one that i keep around for things you don't want to touch with a 10 foot pole!
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