# Flip flops, pool shoes, shower shoes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 13, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075 "2015-07-13T19:04:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/41 "2015-07-14T13:26:12Z")
Flip-flops are the cheap rubber and webbing shoes. Sandals are a little more “dressy” and are probably made with leather or leather-like material. Born 1969, grew up in Florida. > [@Skywatcher](#): > > What we called “shower shoes” in Great Lakes NSTC were [completely different](https://experiencelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/JF10_Eqp2a.jpg) from [flip flops](http://rbrua3v80lj2rulsf7iqfnpmf.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Flip-Flops-stock.jpg). Yup, me too. And can someone tell me why I see men wearing shower shoes with socks? Young men, who should know better! ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/42 "2015-07-14T14:12:33Z")
> [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](#): > > Thongs. Midwest US, 1960s-70s. Never heard flip-flops until at least 1980. Exactly this. Thongs. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/43 "2015-07-14T16:44:57Z")
In SoCal in the early 60s it was “zoris” ( no “e” in there anywhere folks) or “thongs”. I heard some folks use “go-ahead”, but that was weird. Oriental folks (mostly Japanese in those days) said either “slippers” or “zoris”. “Flip flops” came later; late 70s or so. The first time I heard the term “shower shoes” was in the military in the 80s and I had no clue what they were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/44 "2015-07-14T19:31:32Z")
Flip-flops. Though when I was a kid, my friends and I used ‘sandals’ and ‘flip-flops’ interchangeably. And one family used ‘zoris’; they were in the Foreign Service and away half the time, usually in Europe; I always assumed they picked the term up somewhere else in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/45 "2015-07-14T19:50:35Z")
Flipflops, or occasionally sandals. I’ve heard them called thongs, though not all that often. I tend to think of sandals as leather (and not thong-style). I’ve never heard the term “pool shoes” before either, though I have heard of [swim shoes](http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Water-Shoes-Socks-Beach/dp/B00BAWUPWU). That’s what I’d assume “pool shoes” referred to. I have heard the term “shower shoes” once or twice but didn’t think what was meant. If I’d thought about it I’d probably have assumed something like what **Skywatcher l** inked to. [And another use for flipflips / thongs / whatever you call them!](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-28/thong-dress-from-the-1994-movie-priscilla/5291710) ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/46 "2015-07-14T19:53:59Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > My mom used to call them that. She spent her early childhood (in the late 50s/early 60s) in southern California. There’s one other person! Cool! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/47 "2015-07-14T20:08:27Z")
I had to google. If you believe Slate, go-ahead was the original term. I’m checking to see if it was a brand name, but I mostly remember them as cheap generics. Nope. No sign that it was ever a brand name. ---
**Author:** ![IT\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3ec8ea/32.png) [@IT\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IT_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/48 "2015-07-15T18:53:23Z")
Hawaii, late 50s, go-aheads. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/49 "2015-07-15T21:20:29Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > An image search for thongs disagrees. NSFW: enter thongs and search for images. > > But an image search for flip flops, now that is SFW and it yields the desired: [thongs - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=thongs&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAWoVChMImvj63tfaxgIVFpiICh0e2gYr&biw=1024&bih=671#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=flip+flops) > > For me, growing up in Upstate NY they were flip flops. When I went to bootcamp they were called shower shoes. You need to go back to 1961 or so and google thongs. Then I bet the picture of cheap rubber flip flops would come up! Once thong underwear became trendy, most people I know started calling them flip flops. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/50 "2015-07-15T22:03:49Z")
Back in the 20th century, we called them thongs. Now, they’re flip-flops. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/51 "2015-07-15T22:07:53Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > In the 60s they were referred to as; > jap slaps > gook boots > flip flops > go-aheads > > Of course, most those names are not at all acceptable today, but back then, those terms were not uncommon in the California and Hawaii beach crowd. Mostly we called them thongs, but I also heard jap slaps. We didn’t know any better. ---
**Author:** ![fc1114](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@fc1114](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fc1114)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/52 "2015-07-16T00:57:42Z")
In my house we called them slippers or flip flops. Thankfully, a couple of years ago I read an article on why they are\*\* bad \*\*for your feet, so I will \*\*NEVER \*\*wear them, except maybe for a few seconds to get from the house to the pool. [http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/news/a39188/flip-flops-are-bad-for-you/](http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/news/a39188/flip-flops-are-bad-for-you/) ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/53 "2015-07-16T04:28:25Z")
Chanclas or sandals. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/54 "2015-07-16T15:56:37Z")
Northwest Illinois, early 1960’s. Thongs. (and we called windbreakers Blast Jackets) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075/55 "2015-07-16T19:53:34Z")
I have heard them referred to as “flip flops”. In my youth I called them thongs or sandals. Come tho think of it, Mother called them thongs the Summer she didn’t buy me tennis shoes because I would need larger shoes for school. As an adult, I make an effort to not speak of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-flops-pool-shoes-shower-shoes/725075.md?page=2)