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We set out to uncover the truth with a Yahoo! search on "gumshoe origin" and were soon hot on the trail. Our first stop was the Private Investigator's Mall, where you can shop for a PI. A message board on the web site offered several theories as to how this unusual term became slang for a private investigator or detective. The first post proposed that the term "gumshoe" was a tribute to the sticking power of a PI -- "you can't get them off. They stick." Cute explanation, but we weren't sure of its veracity. We read on. The next theory suggests that the name originated from the gum-rubber soles on the shoes worn by detectives and PIs way back when.
The rubber soles allowed the investigator to move quietly and avoid detection. Sounded plausible, but still we persisted in our investigation. The final theory offered on the page suggested that the term originated because private investigators did so much walking in bad neighborhoods to interview people and gather information that they inevitably ended up with gum on their shoes. Hmmm, sounded a little suspect to us. We returned to our search results and tried to pick up the trail before it got cold. Our next stop was a web page called Cool Words, dedicated to the etymology of interesting words. The entry on "gumshoe" backed the rubber-sole shoe theory. The evidence was piling
up, but we wanted to consult a trusted informant before concluding our investigation. We turned to (appropriately enough) The Word Detective, a reliable source. The site corroborates the rubber-sole theory, stating: 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. Case closed.
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