"Kicks": shoes

[Wilson Gray]

There's a gap in HDAS betwen the years 1929 and 1969 for citations of
_kicks_ as "shoes." So, FTHOI, I thought that I'd toss one in from 1958,
found in a verse of the R&B song, "Betty Lou Got a New Pair of Shoes," by
Bobby Freeman:

She cracked up over
The solid fit,
Walking down the street
In her brand-new _kicks_.

Note that the verse also contains an example of "crack up over" as a verb
meaning "be delighted by, be pleased with." In St. Louis, "crack up," in
additon to the usual meanings, could also mean, "burst into laughter" - "he
cracked up behind that" - or "cause to burst into laughter" - "he cracked me
up behind that." Note also the use of "solid" with the meaning "excellent."

In East Texas, "stomps" was used to mean "shoes." The semantic relationship
between "stomps" and "kicks" is obvious.
--
-Wilson Gray