flip-flops

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of flip-flop.

   He wore flip-flops to the beach every day that summer.

   The cheap flip-flops left red marks between her toes.

   Note

   The same spelling does double duty: it is the plural noun here and also the verb's present-tense form. As a plural it covers every meaning of flip-flop, including rubber thong sandals, swaps, somersaults and the bistable circuits of electronics. Sandals usually come in pairs, so a pair of flip-flops is the natural phrase. In American usage, flip-flops can also mean a person's repeated reversals of opinion.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of flip-flop.

   The senator flip-flops on the issue whenever the polls shift.

   She flip-flops on her vacation plans right up to the last minute.

   Note

   The verb works with or without an object. A senator flip-flops on taxes, or flip-flops a position outright. Its usual partner is on, which names the issue being reversed. The word rarely praises anyone. It usually charges someone with abandoning a stated position, which is why it turns up so often in political reporting. It shares its spelling with the plural noun, whose opinion sense carries the same reproach.

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