Where "Thongs" Comes From
In Australia, "thongs" are rubber or foam sandals — what Americans call flip-flops. The sandal style was popularised in Australia by Dunlop, which imported 300,000 pairs from Japan in 1959 before beginning local manufacture in 1960. The name comes from the thin rubber strap — the "thong" — that passes between the first and second toes and anchors the sole to the foot. "Thong" as a word for a narrow strip or strap is Old English in origin, appearing in the language from before the Norman Conquest.
The potential for confusion with American English — where "thong" primarily means a style of underwear — is a reliable source of cross-cultural comedy. Australians abroad asking where to find thongs, or offering to lend someone a thong, have contributed to the word's reputation as one of the more internationally hazardous pieces of Australian vocabulary. The name stuck so firmly that Australians rarely use any other term, while the same footwear acquires a different word in almost every other English-speaking country.
Source:
"Don't forget your thongs at the beach."
How Aussies Actually Use It
This is one of the most famous points of confusion between Australian and American English — in the US, "thongs" almost always refers to a style of underwear. In Australia, that meaning barely registers; thongs are footwear, full stop, and you'll see them worn everywhere from the beach to the servo to (unofficially) the pub.
A fancier, sturdier version with a thicker sole is sometimes called "double pluggers," and going "thong shopping" before summer is a genuinely normal errand, not a euphemism.
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