Brothel creepers/lemon tarts

Posted by Lewis on September 05, 2003

In Reply to: White shoes posted by ESC on September 03, 2003

: : Further to this I believe that in order to file for divorce on the grounds of adultery, two pairs of shoes were left outside a hotel room overnight, by a willing female 'respondent'. One the woman's, another a pair of distinctively mens shoes. These would be spotted by a private detective, hired to independently verify the likelihood of an adulterous act. The two tone shoes were considered those of a ladies man, and hence the 'corespondent' name became attached to them.

: Interesting. Another "shoe term": white shoe law firm. I guess it means upper class -- that upper class men wear white shoes in summer.

'brothel creepers' were the large crepe-soled shoes worn in particular by teddy-boys.

The shoes outside the hotel story is entirely true - an older (UK) lawyer that I worked alongside when I was a trainee recounted the days when adultery had to be 'proved' - the shoes outside the hotel bedroom door was one regular device, another was the hotel maids who earned a side-income by being paid to nip into bed for the few seconds that it took to take a photo - I think there was a term for them, but I can't recall it at the moment. I think the remark was something along the lines of a 'dry' tart (a prostitute who never needed to come into contact with bodily fluids).