# What do YOU call them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 14, 1999, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843 "1999-09-14T20:44:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/1 "1999-09-14T20:44:00Z")
We always called them thongs when I was a kid but that name seems to have been re-appropriated to an entirely different piece of apparel. I’ve heard them called jandals or (warning: racist!) jap flaps, and other names I can’t recall at the moment. I know you’ve all worn them. The basic flat, foot shaped piece of stiff foam rubber with straps on either side that meet at the front in a little stem that goes between your big toe and the rest of your toes. (Boy, I’m not going to win any prizes for description today!) So what do YOU call them? * * * “non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem” – William of Ockham ---
**Author:** ![mikehardware](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mikehardware](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikehardware)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/2 "1999-09-14T20:46:00Z")
Flip Flops ---
**Author:** ![Lucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Lucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/3 "1999-09-14T20:48:00Z")
As a kid, we called them flip flops, too. Now I call the chuples, which is the Nepali word for them. * * * “I think it would be a great idea” Mohandas Ghandi’s answer when asked what he thought of Western civilization ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/4 "1999-09-14T21:14:00Z")
Thongs ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/5 "1999-09-14T21:16:00Z")
Flip flops or thongs, but in reverance to the beatiful creation of the G-string I no longer feel the flip flop worthy of the thong moniker. ---
**Author:** ![topolino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/91b2a8/32.png) [@topolino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/topolino)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/6 "1999-09-14T22:10:00Z")
When I was little-thongs Now-flipflops ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/7 "1999-09-14T22:32:00Z")
Beach sandals. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/8 "1999-09-14T22:37:00Z")
Flip-flops * * * It was dark all around. There was frost in the ground When the tigers broke free- ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/9 "1999-09-14T22:54:00Z")
Flip-flops. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/10 "1999-09-14T22:54:00Z")
Yes, flip-flops is a term I’ve heard. I was looking for an unambiguous way to refer to that particular footwear (see the “fall down - go boom!” thread) but I didn’t know a word we would all recognize. I would really hate for people to misunderstand when I said I was wearing thongs! (I wimped out and said I was wearing sandals.) I remembered the other name my wife uses – locals. I think it’s a brand name. * * * “non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem” – William of Ockham ---
**Author:** ![Heath\_Doolin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Heath\_Doolin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heath_Doolin)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/11 "1999-09-14T23:01:00Z")
My dad called em toe stubbers. He swore that things would land for him to stub his toe when he wore em ---
**Author:** ![tipiwoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6bbea6/32.png) [@tipiwoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tipiwoo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/12 "1999-09-14T23:10:00Z")
I’ve always called them flip-flops. Always have, always will. 🙂 * * * tipi 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 1999, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/13 "1999-09-14T23:23:00Z")
Flip-flops here too. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 1999, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/14 "1999-09-15T00:25:00Z")
Thongs first, flip-flops much later. ---
**Author:** ![kellibelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 1999, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/15 "1999-09-15T00:59:00Z")
survey says…Flip-flops. even in Canada 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jane\_says](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jane\_says](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jane_says)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 1999, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/16 "1999-09-15T04:51:00Z")
Cheap, unattractive, uncomfortable footwear… Better known as flip flops. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 1999, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/17 "1999-09-15T06:13:00Z")
Jandals. But they gave me Tinea. ---
**Author:** ![StStella](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@StStella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StStella)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 1999, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/18 "1999-09-15T13:19:00Z")
Always been flip flops to me. Funny flip flop story. We were at the beach and my mom bought my dad a pair. He had never open shoes before (sandals, flip flops, etc) and was very wary of them. He finally relented and tried them on. Picture this…a large man- 6’ 2" 230lbs walking around in flip flops while trying to keep them from making their natural “flip-flop” noise. I wish I could decribe it better, it was a riot. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 1999, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/19 "1999-09-15T13:23:00Z")
Flip-flops or ‘Jesus boots’. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 1999, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843/20 "1999-09-15T14:06:00Z")
“I blew out my flip-flop, and stepped on a pop-top…” Even Jimmy calls 'em that. Also heard them called “shower shoes”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-them/7843.md?page=2)