<P> The term flip - flop has been used in American and British English since the 1970s to describe the thong or no - heel - strap sandal . It is an onomatopoeia of the sound made by the sandals when walking in them . They are called thongs in Australia , jandals ( originally a trademarked name derived from `` Japanese sandals '' ) in New Zealand , slops in South Africa and tsinelas in the Philippines ( or , in some Visayan localities , `` smagul '' , from the word smuggled ) . </P>
<P> The term flip - flop has been used in American and British English since the 1970s to describe the thong or no - heel - strap sandal . It is an onomatopoeia of the sound made by the sandals when walking in them . They are called thongs in Australia , jandals ( originally a trademarked name derived from `` Japanese sandals '' ) in New Zealand , slops in South Africa and tsinelas in the Philippines ( or , in some Visayan localities , `` smagul '' , from the word smuggled ) . </P>
what do they call flip flops in australia
what do they call flip flops in australia
thongs
thongs