...to know where the shoe pinches....
Please list your source...! Thanks!
2006-10-02 02:37:55 · 5 answers · asked by KinfOfPly 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
It means to know someones weakness or literally someones sensitive spot (or Achilles heal). Something you know about a person but wouldn't strike up a conversation about. (It's mostly something negative or something the person doesn't want to talk about)
You can also use that as an expression for knowing a reason or source for something.
e.g. if someone is in a bad mood, you can say: "I know where the shoe pinches" meaning, you know why or the reason for the bad mood.
2006-10-02 03:31:43 · answer #1 · answered by johanna m 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
As far as I know, that's not an expression in English. It sounds like it's been translated from another language.
I would guess it means something like "to get someone where it hurts", like to bring up a sensitive issue.
2006-10-02 10:09:19 · answer #2 · answered by Goddess of Grammar 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It actually seems to mean what the worst aspects of a given situation are. Usually it has something about the wearer.
Here are some examples of it's use:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=know+where+the+shoe+pinches&prssweb=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=ush-ans&x=wrt
2006-10-02 14:16:46 · answer #3 · answered by Love Shepherd 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes it is an expression, it depends on the context , it means that you know where your limits are, or that you know the weak
spot of a person .
2006-10-02 10:35:07 · answer #4 · answered by tanahcr 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry, I did not understand your question
2006-10-02 09:55:15 · answer #5 · answered by Roy C 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋