GummShoe Introduction

GUMSHOE DEFINED

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.

SHOE DEFINED/ DICTIONARY AND THESAURUS

A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. They may be known as private investigators (P.I.s or "Private I's", hence the play-on-words, "Private Eyes"). Informally, and primarily in fiction, a detective is any licensed or unlicensed person who solves crimes, including historical crimes, or looks into records.

Detective work typically requires a great deal of walking or "footwork", hence the slang terms "flatfoot" and "gumshoe". The term "gumshoe" refers to an inexpensive shoe with "gum rubber", soles that were believed to be quieter due to their softness, thus helping detectives operate in stealth. http://gumshoe.askdefine.com/


Cliff Lindquist AKA GummShoe
http://www.lindquistinvestigationservices.com/