Shoe In
Meaning
A sure winner.
Example
Some stocks that seem like a shoe in turn out to be more like worn out sandals.
Origin
The commonly used spelling of shoe in makes it seem as if it were rooted in the action of a shoehorn. In fact, the meaning comes from horse racing lingo: corrupt jockeys conspire and agree to hold back their mounts and to shoo in or urge forward, a slow horse on which they have bet. In such a phony contest, the shoo-in is the only horse in the race that is trying to win.
