# The phrase "throwing a shoe": Have you ever heard of it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740 "2010-10-29T06:06:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/41 "2010-10-30T01:41:00Z")
Grew up in Chicago suburbs, and yes, I’ve heard it used the way you used it. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/42 "2010-10-30T02:11:56Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > [nitpick]Oxen are cloven hoofed and when used as draught animals are not fitted with metal shoes. [/nitpick] … 😕 So what are these [oxen](http://www.thehinefamily.com/Bows.htm) [shoes](http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=off&tbs=isch:1&q=oxen+shoes&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g1&oq=&gs_rfai=&sout=1&biw=800&bih=434) for then? (I hope it’s not tap dancing. :eek: 'Cause the thought of tap dancing oxen really scares me for some reason.) CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/43 "2010-10-30T02:24:36Z")
I knew the phrase beforehand. Still, after the Bush incident “shoe throwing” to me will always mean throwing an actual shoe at some \*\*\* who deserves contempt. A way of showing extreme dislike and disgust. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/44 "2010-10-30T08:56:28Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’ve heard it (although only in thr context of horses). If I heard it in the context of malfunctioning machinery, I might interpret it as a reference to sabotage (depending on the wording of the statement). Sabotage would be more having a shoe thrown _into_ it, though, wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/45 "2010-10-30T10:54:08Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > Sabotage would be more having a shoe thrown _into_ it, though, wouldn’t it? Indeed. In certain ambiguous, terse or contextless sentences though (such as the title of this thread), I might still initially read it as talking about sabotage. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/46 "2010-10-30T11:43:33Z")
[About as off-topic as possible] For quaint sayings that have to do with stuff not working properly for no apparent reason, my all-time favorite is probably best reserved for when somebody goes missing from an expected place, like a cow-orker suddenly being absent from a spot he or she was just seen a moment ago, at which point the clever response to “Where did so-and-so go?” is “Went to shit and the hogs ate her/him.” How you wortk this into the busted projector scene is up to you, but it is apt to bring you even more puzzled looks than the thrown shoe concept. [/Aaotap] ---
**Author:** ![drillrod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@drillrod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drillrod)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/47 "2010-10-30T13:14:22Z")
I use it once in a while, although I have no idea where I picked it up. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/48 "2010-10-30T21:06:08Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > 😕 So what are these [oxen](http://www.thehinefamily.com/Bows.htm) [shoes](http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=off&tbs=isch:1&q=oxen+shoes&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g1&oq=&gs_rfai=&sout=1&biw=800&bih=434) for then? Will stand corrected. Members of my family have in past generations used bullock teams for timber jinking in remote forestry. They didn’t use farriers, as those who used horse teams did. Maybe the difference is related to where the oxen were working on hard/frozen surfaces. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/49 "2010-10-30T22:11:47Z")
> [@statsman1982](#): > > I went online a while ago and tried to find the phrase. Most of the links are about the Bush incident in Iraq. I can’t find a site that defines the phrase “throwing a shoe” as I used it (when something breaks, it “throws a shoe”). > > Did I just make this phrase up? I’m a Texas boy and I’ve heard that phrase all my life. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/50 "2010-10-30T23:39:41Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Heard it, use it myself on occasion. A me too post. I live in Texas, too but I have only been around actual horses at the Houston Rodeo or the State Fair. I’ve never used and had others look at me like 'wha???" ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/51 "2010-10-30T23:52:46Z")
Ooooh, “threw a (horse)shoe”! I was going to say no, from the thread title, but yeah, I have. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/52 "2010-10-31T00:43:16Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > I’m a Texas boy and I’ve heard that phrase all my life. > [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > A me too post. I live in Texas, too but I have only been around actual horses at the Houston Rodeo or the State Fair. > > I’ve never used and had others look at me like 'wha???" My fellow Texans: Is this a cowboy thing? Perhaps the reason it is not familiar to me is I was never a cowboy type and never had much to do with horses. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/53 "2010-10-31T04:28:42Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > My fellow Texans: Is this a cowboy thing? Perhaps the reason it is not familiar to me is I was never a cowboy type and never had much to do with horses. It could very well be. I can definitely see someone who has worked with horses a lot using the phrase metaphorically for something that falls apart or breaks, and cowboys and horses are a natural pairing. The weird thing is, as I said, I am far from a cowboy in manner or dress. I don’t like country music, I don’t go to rodeos, have never owned a horse, have only ridden a horse once when I was 5, and in general am pretty much an urban guy. The only thing “cowboyish” about me is that I live in West Texas, where all of those things are popular. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/54 "2010-11-01T01:56:08Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I suppose I’m obligated to post. 🙂 > > I’ve heard the phrase, but I know a stupidly high number of old-timey phrases that refer to phenomena that whippersnappers these days aren’t familiar with. “Heading them off at the pass” is another that comes to mind. Who herds through passes anymore? > > Obligatory: get offa my lawn. > > - **purplehorseshoe,** who’s 30 going on 74 “Head off at the pass” is an old-timey phrase?! I guess I’ll be turning 74 with you next year. Come on, not-old people still use this, don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/55 "2010-11-01T21:03:04Z")
I’ve heard it, and recognized it, but only in the context of horses. I would have figured out your metaphorical use, but it probably would have caused my eyebrow to rise, since it seems a bit forced there. But I wouldn’t expect the average college kid to get it. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/56 "2010-11-01T22:22:36Z")
Horses still throw a shoe and your students should be able to figure out the meaning of this phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/57 "2010-11-02T08:51:36Z")
I’ve heard it a lot here in Australia, and understood it to be derived from horseracing as others have said. An equivalent expression is “Pulled a hammie”. That said, the saying might get a disproportionate airing here since we tend to like our old-timey metaphors and are pretty keen on sporting ones (I imagine Americans don’t much “get on the front foot”, “do the hard yards”, or have one “go straight through to the keeper”, so maybe my experience of the shoe metaphor is not representative.) ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/58 "2010-11-02T12:15:10Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Horses still throw a shoe and your students should be able to figure out the meaning of this phrase. After they do that, they can wonder about the phrase “Lick the calf all over again”. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/59 "2010-11-02T20:24:30Z")
I have recently been substituting “hamster” for “hamstring muscle.” “My hamster is chattering.” A few years from now, Dopers might wonders what the heck that was about. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phrase-throwing-a-shoe-have-you-ever-heard-of-it/558740/60 "2010-11-02T20:26:57Z")
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