SLIPSHOD

I learned the word slipshod in my late teens from the poet E. E. Cummings who used it rather artistically, as he did many erudite words, in a musical fashion. Which would make sense since he based the poem, if I recall correctly, off a radio jingle.

SLIPSHOD

Light house slippers of various design became popular in the 1400s. Made without heels or fastening devices, they were easy to slip on and off the foot. Thin felt was the usual material used in making them. Such slip-shoes, as they were called, were designed for indoor use, but careless persons sometimes wore them when strolling near the house, or even on longer excursions. By 1580 it was proverbial that a shameless person would go slip-shod even to church. Such an individual was likely to be slovenly in his or her entire dress, so a man or woman careless in any respect was dubbed slipshod.



What's in a Word?: Fascinating Stories of More Than 350 Everyday Words and Phrases by Webb Garrison