goody two shoes en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From goody (“goodwife, obsolete title of respect for a woman”) + two + shoes. Generally considered to have originated with the title character in The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes (1765), which indeed seems to be the source of its later use as a common noun with the present meaning. However, as a proper noun with implications of wealth rather than goodness, it is also found earlier, c. 1687, in the writings of Charles Cotton: “Why, what then; Goody Two-Shoes, what if it be? / Hold you, if you can, your tittle-tattle, quoth he.”
Meanings
-
(derogatory) A goody-goody; a person who is almost always perfectly well-behaved, with an implication of smugness.
[Jeremy Hunt] is charming, thoughtful and amusing in private, and one ally said he was "almost a goody two shoes".
2012 April 24, Patrick Wintour, “Jeremy Hunt: the 'goody two shoes' caught up in BSkyB scandal”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:But the flaw at the heart of the movie is the decision of this goody-two-shoes to commit a series of robberies to support the family.
2014 December 11, Stephen Holden, “Goody-Two-Shoes Loses His Footing”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:[…] When jabbed by ethicists, he at first asserted, "I'm not Goody Two-Shoes," before acknowledging a minor lapse.
2006 June 18, William Safire, quoting Harry Reid, “Logoloco”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| goodie two-shoes | alternative | lexicographic | |
| goody two shoes | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| goody-two-shoes | alternative | lexicographic | |
| goodie two shoes | alternative | lexicographic | |
| goody two-shoes | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
boy scout (exceptionally good person)
Translations (18)
it santarello (goody-goody) · ru па́инька (goody-goody) · ru свято́ша (goody-goody) · sv bror Duktig (goody-goody) · fi veliponteva (goody-goody) · es santito (goody-goody) · he יֶלֶד טוֹב יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (goody-goody) · de Tugendbold (goody-goody) · de Gutmensch (goody-goody) · es santurrón (goody-goody) · pl świętoszek (goody-goody) · it santarellino (goody-goody) · pl świętoszka (goody-goody) · it santerello (goody-goody) · es mojigato (goody-goody) · nl brave hendrik (goody-goody) · es pacato (goody-goody) · it santerellino (goody-goody)
wikipedia: The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes · wikipedia: Charles Cotton