<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>
where did the term flip flop come from
where did the term flip flop come from
It is an onomatopoeia of the sound made by the sandals when walking in them .
It is an onomatopoeia of the sound made by the sandals when walking in them .