slipper

A pair of low-heeled slippers.

A slipper, also called houseshoe, is a soft and lightweight indoor type of footwear.

The modern slipper has evolved from those first made in Japan during the Meiji period. The Japanese were accustomed to taking off their shoes before rising into their homes (as was not the case for western cultures at the time.) The Meiji period saw many foreigners being brought to Japan from all over the world for various purposes, mainly trade. The Japanese saw it a problem that these foreigners did not know their customs and entered indoors with their shoes on. Thus, they invented slippers for the foreigners to use as a cover over the shoes so as to keep the indoors sanitary.

Actually the slipper was invented much earlier in India. A Southern Song dynasty officer Zhou Qu Fei(1135-1189)，stationed in Quanxi province of China, described two types of slippers he saw in Jiaozhi( now Vietnam) in his 1178 book "Ling Wai Dai Da", both types of slippers had leather bottom, one type has a small post about an inch long with a an mushroom shape top up front, people wore this slipper by holding the post between their toes; another type of slipper had a cross shape leather cover across the top of the leather bottom, Zhou noted that these slipper looked exactly like the slippers on the feet of arhats in some paintings^[1]. He noted further that the people of Kulam in Southern India wore a kind of red slipper which looked exactly like the slipper of arhats in painting^[2].

Clothing

The word is recorded in English in 1478, deriving from the much older verb to slip, the notion being of footwear that is "slipped" onto the foot. Slippers are frequently made out of soft materials such as felt, terrycloth or soft leather, and may or may not be lined. Some slippers, particularly those meant to be used near pools, bathrooms, or other wet places, are made of plastic or rubber. Slippers generally have thin and flexible soles, with a shallow tread meant only to prevent the wearer from slipping on smooth floors. In contrast, shoes and boots are generally made of canvas, plastic, rubber, or leather, and often have thick soles.

Slippers may be shaped like a shoe (foot inserted through top), or may have no heel, so the foot can be slipped in the back.

Slippers now come in many colourful designs - cartoon characters, patterns and animals are often used to decorate this type of footwear.

Nicknames

The term "slipper" is sometimes used interchangeably with the terms flip-flop and sandal. This is especially true where footwear is not customarily worn indoors; in the Philippines, India and Hawaii the word "slipper" generally refers to the sandal or flip-flop. This term can be used for sandals or flip-flops even though it is not truly "correct" per se.

In Scotland, especially on the east coast, they are often called "baffies". This is thought to derive from the Scots word 'bachle' meaning to shuffle.

The fictional character Cinderella is said to have worn glass slippers; in modern parlance they would probably be called glass mules.

Derek "The Slipper Man" Fan holds the Guiness Book of World Records for wearing a pair of dress slippers for 23 years straight as of June 30th, 2007.

Homonyms

• In hare coursing, a slipper is a person who "slips" or releases dogs to chase the hare. Slippers are registered and trained by the British NCC (National Coursing Club), but coursing is controversial and becoming banned in most countries due to its allegedly inhumane treatment of the hare.
• In Dutch, the word slipper used in its diminutive form 'slippertje' denotes an amorous affair which a married person 'slips' into. The Dutch word may also mean a (plastic) slipper used in humid areas (unlike ordinary slippers)

1. ^ Zhou Qu Fei: Ling Wai Dai Da, Vol 6, section 106" Leather slippers ISBN 7101016650
2. ^ Zhou Qu Fei: Ling Wai Dai Da, vol 2 section 37 :Kulam ISBN 7101016650

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• EtymologyOnLine- click also on the link to the verb slip

See also

• Havaianas
• Lady's slipper
• Slippering (punishment)
• Ruby slippers

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