In British superstition, putting new shoes on a table is traditionally believed to bring bad luck.
The custom is one of several British household taboos involving shoes. New footwear placed on a table has been considered ominous, and in some accounts shoes on a table are linked with death or misfortune. The belief is especially associated with working-class and mining communities, though its exact origin is uncertain and explanations differ by region.
One proposed explanation connects shoes on a table with the preparation of a dead person’s body or with household funeral customs. Another view is that shoes were dirty outdoor objects and therefore inappropriate on a surface used for food. Neither explanation can be treated as a single proven origin for every version of the superstition.
The rule is cultural rather than universal. Many people today regard it as an old-fashioned taboo, while others still avoid the arrangement out of habit. It is separate from the broader superstition about putting a hat on a bed, another household object-placement taboo.