shoo-fly pie

[ shoo-flahy ]

noun

1. an open pie filled with a sweet crumb and molasses mixture and baked.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shoo-fly pie¹

First recorded in 1925–30; so called in allusion to the attractiveness of the molasses to unwanted flies

Example Sentences

Nora F.: Here it is, my mother’s recipe for Shoo-Fly Pie.

From Washington Post

Dear Heloise: My husband loves your recipe for Shoo-Fly Pie, but I've lost it.

From Washington Post

Dear Heloise: You used to have a recipe for shoo-fly pie.

From Washington Post

In her 1965 book “Red-Flannel Hash and Shoo-Fly Pie,” Lila Perl claimed that the dessert arose during the Civil War when housewives in Washington couldn’t get lard for pie crusts.

From Washington Post

These days, the best places to find shoo-fly pie are the same ones we’ve always sought out: Pennsylvania Dutch bakeries, which, as the name implies, are usually found way, way north of the D.C. border.

From Washington Post