Were did this name come from?
2007-01-09 06:10:09 · 10 answers · asked by PegBundyWannabe 5 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Movies
It turns out that the original "gumshoes" of the late 1800's were shoes or boots made of gum rubber, the soft-soled precursors of our modern sneakers... At the turn of the century "to gumshoe" meant to sneak around quietly as if wearing gumshoes, either in order to rob or, conversely, to catch thieves. "Gumshoe man" was originally slang for a thief, but by about 1908 "gumshoe" usually meant a police detective, as it has ever since.
2007-01-09 06:14:58 · answer #1 · answered by blapath 6 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Because they have to walk a lot. They go through a lot of shoe leather. And because they probably will step on gum eventually, they picked up the nickname gumshoe. I'm not sure where it came from. It was probably from a novel or a film from many years ago.
2007-01-09 06:15:10 · answer #2 · answered by mreed316 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Back in the 50's shoes with thick bottom were made from a gummy substance. Cops, who did a lot of walking , preferred these shoes because they lasted a long time. This is before Vibraum. Dectectives typically walked alot in the course of an investigation. So gunshow and dectective became synanimous terms
2007-01-09 06:17:28 · answer #3 · answered by OldWiseandGray 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gumshoe-word is a allusion to the quiet snooping that a detective is suppose to do. wearing rubber shoes so he can move around without making much noise.
2007-01-09 07:59:36 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because detective work involves a lot of legwork, walking around, going to different places, tracking down clues, etc... and likely with all the walking around you'd eventually get gum on your shoe by walking on some.
2007-01-09 06:16:46 · answer #5 · answered by Cruel Angel 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question: and the answer is yes. For example: San Antonio PD (Texas) has officers that are given investigator rank, but wear a similar police uniform and respond to crimes to collect evidence. The other type of investigator (same rank) is a plain clothes officer who investigates case crimes. It all depends in what office you are in at the time.
2016-05-22 23:20:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
cause they walk around, spying for clients so much that they eventually get gum on their shoe. hence the name-gumshoe.
2007-01-09 07:54:01 · answer #7 · answered by racer 51 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because when he's looking for clues he has to walk slowly and observe his surroundings, almost as if gum were on the bottom of his shoe?
2007-01-09 06:14:49 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i dont no, but good question
2007-01-09 06:13:42 · answer #9 · answered by officer dan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
......idk
2007-01-09 06:13:55 · answer #10 · answered by Man 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋