<P> Flip - flops are a type of sandal typically worn as a form of casual wear . They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y - shaped strap that passes between the first and second toes and around both sides of the foot . </P> <P> This style of footwear has been worn by the people of many cultures throughout the world, originating as early as the ancient Egyptians in 1,500 B.C. The modern flip - flop descends from the Japanese zōri, which became popular after World War II when soldiers returning to the United States brought them back . They became popular unisex summer footwear starting in the 1960s . </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> <P> This footwear has a number of other names around the world . In India and Pakistan, flip - flops are commonly known as hawai chappal . The Japanese wear similarly designed, traditional straw sandals known as zōri . Throughout the world, they are known by a variety of other names, including dép tông or dép xỏ ngón in Vietnam, chinelos in Brazil, japonki in Poland, dacas in Somalia, sayonares (σαγιονάρες) in Greece, Schlapfen in Austria, slippers in Hawaii, Trinidad and Tobago and the Netherlands, infradito in Italy, djapanki (джапанки) in Bulgaria, "charlie wote" in Ghana and vietnamki in Russia and Ukraine . </P>

What do they call flip flops in australia