We can’t wait to see you in these thongs!

Oh, yes, we see why this might be an amusing sentence to you. You think it’s funny because nowadays, the word “thong” is often used to describe a naughty piece of underclothing. But there’s so much more to the thong! Maybe we can help…

A GUIDE TO THE WORD “THONG.”

One can trace the etymology of the word “thong” back to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) days. Back then it was twenk- and had more to do with squeezing, pressure, and restraint. This evolved from its PIE roots into the proto-Germanic (PGmc) and slightly onomatopoeic thwang, or, more specifically, þwangiz/þwanguz. The definition at that point occupied the abstract as well as the literal: One could use the word to convey a sort of coercion. But its main duty served to describe a strap, cord or band.

Then, as we all know, the Anglo Saxons stepped up with their Old English in the mid-5th through mid-12th centuries. Thwang became þwong, þwang, þweng or þwæng. By then it specialized in describing “a narrow strip of leather.” This gave way to the Middle English iteration: thong (sometimes thwong).

At this stage, its definition continued more or less as “a strap of flexible leather.” We suspect this meaning continued to hold over the years, and in 1965 it was first used to describe the very sort of shoe we are selling here today.

In point of fact, you’ll find our friends “Down Under” continue using the word to describe this sort of footwear. We bow to their expertise; after all, they’ve got the climate for it! The truth is, we don’t see the word used to define a piece of wedgie-inducing underwear until 1990.

We hope this was an edifying and enlightening experience for you.

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