Big shoes to fill
Old Wooden Shoes
A few months ago, I wrote about buying the wrong sized shoes. For me, they were too small (mostly because they were the wrong gender). My parents have the opposite problem. They received some shoes that are way too big. As you can see in the picture, it they are wooden shoes.
Wooden shoes are called clogs and can be found in many cultures around the world. I just saw some at a café 10 days ago. My family is from the Netherlands and wooden shoes are a traditional type of footwear there. They have been around since the 13th century and haven’t changed much since then. Although people don’t wear them regularly anymore, over 3 million pairs of Klompen (clogs) are produced each year, mostly for tourists to buy. However, there are only 12 official clog makers still operating in the Netherlands today.
Meaning
I chose big shoes to fill as the phrase today because it is literally true in the case of my parents. The shoes are too big for them, but there is also a figurative meaning as well. Big shoes to fill describes a situation where you are replacing someone else who did a lot of work or did a very good job. I think it is easier to explain in an example. When I joined my current job, the person I replaced was loved by the trainees, students, and coworkers. I felt like I had big shoes to fill. That means I felt like it would be difficult to do as well as him at the job. It is like I am trying to wear his shoes, but his shoes are too big.
Example: The last president did a great job. Those are big shoes to fill.
See Also: Pull yourself up by the bootstraps, Many hands make light work
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Reference:
https://www.holland.com/global/tourism/travel-inspiration/traditional/wooden-shoes.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klomp
https://dutchreview.com/culture/dutch-clogs/
