thong

plural thongs

1. A narrow strip of material, typically leather, used to fasten, bind, or secure objects.
2. Australiadatedplural normallyAn item of footwear, usually of rubber, secured by two straps which join to pass between the big toe and its neighbour.

   2006, Peter Murray, David Poole, Grant Jones, Contemporary Issues in Management and Organisational Behaviour, Thomson, page 108, Players turned up for questioning wearing thongs, shorts and T-shirts.

   4 more examples

   Because of August he wears shorts and sandals, the Japanese geta sort called thongs.

   1963 March 16, Hal Porter, “Little old lady passing by”, in The Bulletin, page 22, column 3

   T-shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs (T-shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs).

   1964, The Beach Boys, All Summer Long

   Thongs are the favoured footwear for many Aussies, especially near the beaches, but most people in the Outback find that they can't put a foot wrong with a tough, nicely worn-in pair or workboots.

   2008, Steve Parish, Eccentric Australia, page 104

   You shouldn′t face condescension if you rock into a boutique in your thongs and a singlet, but neither will you be treated like a princess just because you've splashed $5000 on daddy's credit card.

   2009, Charles Rawlings-Way, Sydney, Lonely Planet, page 126

   Synonyms: list in flip-flop

3. UKUSAn item of clothing, usually an undergarment or swimwear consisting of very narrow strips designed to cover just the genitals and nothing more.

   She was impressed by her friend's confidence to wear a thong on the crowded beach.

   2 more examples

   "Another girl bends over to get her books from her locker. Her hot pink thong sticks out of her low-rise pants."

   2005, Alyssa Schafer, “Is school dress appropriate or over the line?”, in The Bismarck Tribune

   "At her friends' urging, Margo ended up buying a purple thong."

   2009, Ashley Rae Harris, Do You Love Me?: Making Healthy Dating Decisions, Abdo Group, →ISBN, page 16

   Synonyms: G-string, butt floss

4. The largest section of a bullwhip constructed of many straps of braided leather.

plural Thongs

1. A surname.