English

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A variety of colourful flip-flops (sense 1).

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Onomatopoeic. Most probably an imitation of the sound produced when walking in them.

Pronunciation

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  • (UK) enPR: flĭp'flŏp", IPA(key): /ˈflɪpˌflɒp/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈflɪpˌflɑp/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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flip-flop (plural flip-flops)

  1. (US, UK, Fiji) A sandal consisting of a rubber sole fastened to the foot by a rubber thong fitting between the toes and around the sides of the foot. [from 20th c.]
    • 30 August 2004, The New Yorker, , page 38
      the necessity for yet another place at which to buy a polo shirt or a pair of flip-flops may not be apparent to the town's residents —
  2. A change of places; an inversion or swap.
    • 1964, Scholastic Coach, volume 34, page 18:
      On the break for strong left, everything remains the same, except for the flip-flop of positions.
    1. (US) An instance of flip-flopping, of repeatedly changing one's stated opinion about a matter. [from 19th c.]
    • 2020 April 8, David Clough, “How the West Coast wiring war was won”, in Rail, page 61:
      BR's flip-flop attitude towards the two options can be observed in comments made by the BR chairman in September 1967, which were interpreted as meaning that the facts now have to be "adjusted" to prove the electrification case.
  3. (computing, electronics) A bistable; an electronic switching circuit that has either two stable states (switching between them in response to a trigger) or a stable and an unstable state (switching from one to the other and back again in response to a trigger), and which is thereby capable of serving as one bit of memory. [from 20th c.]
    • 2012, George Dyson, Turing's Cathedral, Penguin, published 2013, page 72:
      Ten two-state flip-flops [] were formed into ten-stage ring counters representing each decimal digit in the ten-digit accumulators []
  4. The sound of a regular footfall.
  5. A somersault. [from 19th c.]
  6. (US, slang, truck driving) A return trip.
    • 1975, “Convoy”, in C.W. McCall, Chip Davis (lyrics), Black Bear Road, performed by C. W. McCall:
      We'll catch you on the flip-flop. This here's the Rubber Duck on the side. We gone, 'bye, 'bye.
  7. (slang, derogatory, offensive) A person or inhabitant of the Middle East, or a Muslim nation, particularly Afghanistan.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Japanese: フリップフロップ (furippu-furoppu)

Translations

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See also

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Verb

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flip-flop (third-person singular simple present flip-flops, present participle flip-flopping, simple past and past participle flip-flopped)

  1. (idiomatic, transitive, intransitive) To alternate back and forth between directly opposite opinions, ideas, or decisions.
    Synonyms: U-turn, vacillate

Further reading

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Finnish

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From English flip-flop.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈflipˌflop/, [ˈflipˌflo̞p]
  • Rhymes: -op
  • Hyphenation(key): flip‧flop

Noun

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flip-flop

  1. (Anglicism) flip-flop (footwear)

Declension

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Inflection of flip-flop (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative flip-flop flip-flopit
genitive flip-flopin flip-flopien
partitive flip-flopia flip-flopeja
illative flip-flopiin flip-flopeihin
singular plural
nominative flip-flop flip-flopit
accusative nom. flip-flop flip-flopit
gen. flip-flopin
genitive flip-flopin flip-flopien
partitive flip-flopia flip-flopeja
inessive flip-flopissa flip-flopeissa
elative flip-flopista flip-flopeista
illative flip-flopiin flip-flopeihin
adessive flip-flopilla flip-flopeilla
ablative flip-flopilta flip-flopeilta
allative flip-flopille flip-flopeille
essive flip-flopina flip-flopeina
translative flip-flopiksi flip-flopeiksi
abessive flip-flopitta flip-flopeitta
instructive flip-flopein
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of flip-flop (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

Synonyms

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Portuguese

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English flip-flop.

Pronunciation

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  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌfli.piˈflɔ.pi/, /ˌflipˈflɔp/
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌflipˈflɔp/, /ˌfli.piˈflɔ.pi/

Noun

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flip-flop m (plural flip-flops)

  1. (electronics) flip-flop (electronic circuit able to switch between two states)