The shoe known in Australia as a “thong” is one of the oldest styles of footwear in the world.
WHY DO AUSSIES CALL THEM THONGS? The word THONG means restraint, referred to as the piece of rubber that is used to slide between the big and second toe to keep the soul of the sandal.
In the USA a thong is a piece of underwear. In Australia, it's what they call flip-flops. Sometimes they also call them "double-pluggers".
Etymology. Although the Beach Boys 1964 song All Summer Long mentions "T-shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs", the term flip-flop has been used in American and British English since the 1960s to describe the thong or no-heel-strap sandal. This type of footwear is also known as "slides" or "sliders".
But there is no denying they are iconic Australian footwear. No other nation quite does them justice. And don't get me started on the flip-flop/jandal debate! It wouldn't be summer in Australia without them.
Same as thongs, flip-flops. Rubber footwear. Believed to be used very widely in NZ and has come to Australia with the kiwis: Don't forget to wear your jandals on the hot sand. Contributor's comments: This was a trade name derived from two words, Japanese Sandal.
Usage notes. Australian, British and New Zealand English uses "chips" for what North Americans call french fries. When confusion would occur between the two meanings, "hot chips" and "cold chips" are used.
verb. If you say that someone, especially a politician, flip-flops on a decision, you are critical of them because they change their decision, so that they do or think the opposite. [mainly US, informal, disapproval]
They're "thongs" in Australia and "plakkies" in South Africa. Even some areas of the United States have special names for them, such as "zories" on the East Coast, "clam diggers" in Texas, and "slippers" in Hawaii. Although the name “flip-flops" originated in America in the 1950s, flip-flops go way, way back in time.
In the United States and some other English-speaking countries, it can also be a shoe that is held on by two straps that go between the big toe. This is normally used in the plural, thongs, when referring to the shoe. Another name for this type of sandal is a flip-flop.
A female kangaroo is known as a 'flyer' or a 'doe' and a male kangaroo a 'buck' or a 'boomer' (hence the nickname of the Australian men's basketball team, the Boomers). They live in social groups called mobs.
Here in Australia, however, McDonald's most prevalent nickname is “Macca's”. A recent branding survey commissioned by McDonald's Australia found that 55 per cent of Australians refer to the company by its local slang name.
The short answer is no, it's not illegal to drive in thongs in Australia. There are no laws in any state that specifically prohibit any type of footwear while driving. That means you can drive in thongs, sneakers, or work boots. However, you do need to stay in control of your vehicle at all times.
Jandals – whether you call them flip flops or thongs where you come from, the perennial summer footwear favourite is called a jandal in NZ. They are one step up from going bare foot (which Kiwis do a lot!) and often look pretty battered!
For example, the phrase "I'm stuffed" has at least three different meanings - "I'm tired," "I'm in trouble" or "I'm full".
What do British people call Jandals? In the UK and the US jandals are known as flip-flops (which comes from the noise they make when walking in them) and in Australia they are known as thongs and South Australians called them plakkies.
The name Havaianas is derived from the feminine form of the Portuguese word for "Hawaiians", and the pattern on the soles of the sandals is designed to resemble the straw soles of zori. Originally, all Havaianas featured white insoles with colored outsoles and straps.
Infradito is a type of summer shoe in leather, rubber, straw or plastic, in which the sole is secured to the foot by a strip (called a toe post) that passes between the big toe and the second toe. In English, we call these shoes flip-flops, thong sandals or toe-post sandals depending on the style.
: an act or sound of flopping. : a complete failure. the movie was a flop. 3. slang : a place to sleep.
As a slang, brad is referent to a lover who is exceedingly sweet and caring and also fantastic in bed.
In Australia and New Zealand, "soft drink" or "fizzy drink" is typically used. In South African English, "cool drink" is any soft drink. U.S. soft drinks 7-Up or Sprite are called "lemonade" in the UK.
Kraft Dinner (KD) in Canada, Kraft Mac & Cheese in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, Cheesey Pasta in the United Kingdom and internationally is a nonperishable, packaged macaroni and cheese product.
The term "esky" is also commonly used in Australia to generically refer to portable coolers or ice boxes and is part of the Australian vernacular, in place of words like "cooler" or "cooler box" and the New Zealand "chilly bin". The term derives from the word "Eskimo".
Pollie / polly - a politician. Pommie / Pom - English person (usually whinging pom).
'Gumboots' And 'Jandals'
Both are colloquial, loveable Kiwi icons. The Gumboot is not some type of gummy candy, it's simply your wellies or Wellington Boots to use the proper term. A Jandal is your equivalent of a flip-flop or thong (ask the Aussie's for their answer on thongs!).