Bobby socks

An American expression for short, ankle-length socks as worn by adolescent girls; dates from the early 1940s. Bobbysoxer, which dates from a little latter, c. 1944, was a popular name for the young girls who wore such socks. The bobby part derives from bob meaning to cut short as in a bobtail, a horse’s tail cut short, or to wear one’s hair in a bob, which usage dates from the mid-18th century.