<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/bbaf3a24-a65f-49bd-b752-c56af615806d/0747F7D8-DCA3-42E5-B744-F98731009840/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://ask.yahoo.com/20061031.html" href="http://ask.yahoo.com/20061031.html" style="font-size: 11px;">ask.yahoo.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://ask.yahoo.com/20061031.html"><table background="undefined" bgcolor=""><tr><TD class="que"><SMALL><B>Why are high-heeled shoes called pumps?</B></SMALL></TD></tr></table></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://ask.yahoo.com/20061031.html"><table background="undefined" bgcolor=""><tr><TD class="que"><SMALL><I>Chris<BR />Philadelphia, Pennsylvania</I></SMALL></TD></tr></table></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://ask.yahoo.com/20061031.html"><SMALL> Some might think high-heeled shoes are called pumps because they "pump" up the bank accounts of designers like <A href="http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Design_Arts/Fashion_and_Beauty/Designers/Blahnik__Manolo/">Manolo Blahnik</A>, whose fabulously expensive creations are snapped up by the <A href="http://www.hbo.com/city/episode/season6/episode83.shtml">Carrie Bradshaws</A> of the world. While pumps don't have to be <A href="http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2005/12/16/expensive-womens-shoes-cx_sb_1219feat_ls.html">expensive</A>, <A href="http://podiatry.curtin.edu.au/history.html%23spike">high-heeled</A> shoes have long been associated with the wealthy and their servants. </SMALL></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://ask.yahoo.com/20061031.html"><SMALL> The word "<A href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pump">pump</A>" was first used to refer to footwear back in 1555. It meant a low shoe without fasteners and described the shoes worn by <A href="http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/%7Emarc-carlson/shoe/RESEARCH/GLOSSARY/bdefpq.htm">footmen</A>. "Pump" may have come from the sound made from walking in these shoes. Or it could have come from the Dutch shoe term <I>pampoesje</I>. </SMALL></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://ask.yahoo.com/20061031.html"><SMALL> Later, <A href="http://www.footwearhistory.com/glossary/glosspump.shtml">slip-on shoes</A> with heels were called pumps, especially the <A href="http://www.batashoemuseum.ca/shoesections/rococo.html">fancy shoes</A> worn in European courts by both <A href="http://users.powernet.co.uk/wingett/History1.htm">men</A> and women. French King Louis XIV even inspired a curved high <A target="_blank" href="http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761578144/Shoes.html">heel</A> of his own. </SMALL></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://ask.yahoo.com/20061031.html"><SMALL> <A href="http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/tows_past_20010523_b.jhtml?_loopback=1">Sarah Jessica Parker</A>, you're not alone. </SMALL></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/0747F7D8-DCA3-42E5-B744-F98731009840/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content7.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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