Goody Two-Shoes Was A Goody-Goody

Goody Two Shoes Was A Goody-Goody
A “Goody Two-Shoes” is a person who always follows the rules and never does anything wrong. The shortened form “goody-goody” is also used to negatively describe a “do-gooder”. The expression was popularized by a children’s story that was published in 1765. In the story, a poor orphan named Little Margery Meanwell only has one shoe. When her brother Tommy is taken away to become a sailor, the little girl becomes distraught. She is filled with joy, however, when a shoemaker gives her a pair of shoes. She proudly points her shoes out to everyone she meets, and becomes known as Goody Two-Shoes. Empowered by her new shoes, the orphan begins to educate herself. She learns how to read, and then takes it upon herself to teach many other children how to read. She helps prevent a robbery in her village, and becomes a local heroine. She then becomes a teacher and marries into a rich family. While it may seem that Little Margery was called Goody because she was such a do-gooder, etymologists note that “goody” was once a polite form of address for a poor unmarried woman.

1. Little Margery Meanwell is a character from a children’s story published in 1765.
2. The words “goody-goody” and “goody two shoes” are used as nouns.
3. The orphan got her nickname because at one time she only had a single shoe. When she received a pair of shoes she was so proud that she pointed them out to everyone she met.