Shoehorn

Shoehorn

A shoehorn is a tool that allows the user to put on a shoe more easily. It does so by keeping the shoe open and by providing a smooth surface for the foot and particularly the heel to move, without crushing the shoe's "counter" (the vertical portion of the shoe that wraps around the back of the foot), in this way acting as a first classFact|date=July 2008 lever.

Originally, shoe horns were made of wood, which is still a common material, although plastics are now used more often. They were also made of metal, glass and even paper. Expensive shoe horns were made from ivory, silver, shell, or bone.

Shoehorns have been used for advertising and many people collect themFact|date=September 2008.

There are various models of shoe horns. Long handled shoe horns, for example, are used to reduce bending and straining by persons lacking joint mobility, while shoe horns with sturdy handles are useful for putting on boots or heavy shoes. More recently, expensive shoe horns have found their way to market. For example, designer Ralph Lauren currently offers a shoe horn retailing at $250.

A shoehorn was famously used to convict Brian James Urquart of the murders of three prostitutes in Detroit who had used it to try on the shoe of one of his victims and thus it contained traces of both parties' DNA.

Turn of phrase

"Shoehorning" has come to mean the act of coercing or pressuring an individual into a situation which does not leave enough room, either literally or figuratively. Shoehorning in a conversational context means to force someone to take one of a limited number of positions, neither of which may adequately express what the individual wants to say (a "For me or against me"-scenario). Shoehorning in a more literal sense can express itself as pushing a number of individuals into an overfilled enclosure of space, such as a theater or a bus ("The usher shoehorned us into the back of the crowded theatre"). Shoehorning can also refer to an unnatural-seeming inclusion of something for reasons which may range anywhere from demographic-pleasing or political correctness (for example, a token character in a television show or film).

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shoehorn — Shoe horn, v. t. to squeeze or force into a tight fitting space, with or as though with a shoehorn; often used figuratively. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shoehorn — Shoe horn , Shoeing horn Shoe ing horn , n. 1. A curved piece of polished horn, wood, or metal used to facilitate the entrance of the foot into a shoe. [1913 Webster] 2. Figuratively: (a) Anything by which a transaction is facilitated; a medium;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shoehorn — (n.) 1580s, from SHOE (Cf. shoe) + HORN (Cf. horn); earlier shoeing horn (mid 15c.). The verb in the figurative sense of to put or thrust (something somewhere) by means of a tool is recorded from 1859. Earlier it meant to cuckold (mid 17c.), with …   Etymology dictionary

  • shoehorn — ► NOUN ▪ a curved instrument used for easing one s heel into a shoe. ► VERB ▪ force into an inadequate space …   English terms dictionary

  • shoehorn — [sho͞ohôrn΄] n. an implement of metal, horn, plastic, etc. with a troughlike blade, inserted at the back of a shoe to aid in slipping the heel in vt. to force or squeeze into a narrow space …   English World dictionary

  • shoehorn — I UK [ˈʃuːˌhɔː(r)n] / US [ˈʃuˌhɔrn] noun [countable] Word forms shoehorn : singular shoehorn plural shoehorns a curved object that you use for helping you to put your shoe on II UK [ˈʃuːˌhɔː(r)n] / US [ˈʃuˌhɔrn] verb [transitive] Word forms… …   English dictionary

  • shoehorn — [[t]ʃu͟ːhɔː(r)n[/t]] shoehorns, shoehorning, shoehorned 1) N COUNT A shoehorn is a piece of metal or plastic with a slight curve that you put in the back of your shoe so that your heel will go into the shoe easily. 2) VERB If you shoehorn… …   English dictionary

  • shoehorn — I. noun Date: 1589 a curved piece (as of horn, wood, or metal) used in putting on a shoe II. transitive verb Date: 1859 1. to force to be included or admitted < shoehorned irrelevant arguments into his essay > 2. to force or compress into an… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • shoehorn — /shooh hawrn /, n. 1. a shaped piece of horn, metal, or the like, inserted in the heel of a shoe to make it slip on more easily. v.t. 2. to force into a limited or tight space: Can you shoehorn four of us into the back seat of your car? [1580 90; …   Universalium

  • shoehorn — 1. noun /ˈʃuːˌhɔː(ɹ)n,ˈʃuːˌhɔɹn/ A tool used to assist putting the foot into a shoe by sliding the heel in. 2. verb /ˈʃuːˌhɔː(ɹ)n,ˈʃuːˌhɔɹn/ a) To use a shoehorn. They shoehorned the extra appointment into an already pa …   Wiktionary

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