To throw one's shoe onto the chessboard

The expression "to throw a shoe onto the roof" means that a person has lost their position or importance, and someone else has taken their place. This phrase is commonly used when something better has replaced an object, or when a more successful person emerges in a particular role.

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The origin of this expression dates back to ancient times, to the shoemakers’ guilds known as lonca. At that time, if a shoemaker failed to repair a customer’s shoe on time or to a satisfactory standard, other masters within the guild would throw the shoe onto the roof of the shoemaker’s shop. This act signaled that the shoemaker had performed poor work and damaged his reputation. No one would then give work to a shoemaker whose shoes had been thrown onto the roof, leading him to become unemployed.

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We use this expression to describe when someone is replaced by someone newer or better.

Examples:

"Old video games had their shoes thrown onto the roof because of the new games that were released."

"The new student in class ran so fast that he threw the school’s fastest runner’s shoe onto the roof."

"My mother’s new robotic vacuum cleaner threw my old vacuum’s shoe onto the roof."