MooT Question Icon
What word was contracted to coin the goody in the phrase Goody Two-Shoes




Etymology, Etymology, and more Etymology
as well as grammar, usage, euphemism, slang, jargon, semantics (meaning), linguistics, neologism, idiom, word origin, syntax, dialect, lexicon (vocabulary), diction, pidgin, synonym, antonym, homonym, cant, argot, lingo, and redundancy.


A picture of a moot game

The critically-acclaimed board game MooT consists of tough questions about the nuances of the English language.
To join our mailing list and get free brain-twisting MooT questions sent to you irregularly, enter your email address and then press submit.

E-Mail address:




Back to home page



Answer: Goodwife

The phrase Goody Two-Shoes denotes a "pious person" ; it was derived from the name of the title character in the book The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes (1766).

[Evidently the book has just been optioned as a Home Box Office mini-series starring Mary Hart.]

The term Goody is a shortened form of Goodwife, a 16th century equivalent of Mrs..

Source: http://www.wordorigins.org


Please note that these are draft questions for the board game MooT.
If you spot an error or disagree with anything I've said here,
please let me know and I'll fix it.
(the Mootguy)

Copyright 1998-2008 Blair Arts Ltd. All rights reserved.