Hawaiian Word of the Week

Slippah-- pronounced, SLIP-A: meaning, a thong-style sandals
Most mainlanders (that is all of those who live on the Continental United States) word for slippah is flip-flop. Mainlanders also call their house shoes "slippers" which is very close to our word of the week "slippah".

Below I have provided pics to illustrate the difference between Islander Shoes and Mainland Shoes.

Here is a pic of the True Hawaiian Rubber Slippah --they start as low as $1.99 and an expensive pair can cost you around $7.99. The dictionary definition for Rubbah Slippah is: pidgin for cheap, rubber thong sandals (rubber slippers). Every hawaiian local knows 101 ways to fix their broken slippah: 50 with tape, 50 with glue, and 50 with a stick to poke the strap back in the hole. Every Hawaiian local owns 2 or more pairs. Slippahs were brought to Hawaii as a cheap way for the Japanese and Filipino plantation workers to have shoes.

Here is the mainland version of the "slipper". Mainlanders prefer to wear their slippers mainly in the house (unless you are my former suitemate, Megan). Slippers are designed age appropriate, to your fun animated ones for the young (and young at heart)-to the simple sock-like slipper with rubber soles, safe for all those slippery hard surfaces in the home.

Mainlanders also wear "slippahs", but they call them flip-flops. Mainland flip-flops can be all colors, all materials and all prices. The Rainbow flip-flop show to the left, is a perfect example of a mainland flip-flop, very overpriced and would probably by considered a dress shoe in Hawaii. The average Hawaiian will probably spend less in a life-times' worth of slippahs than mainlanders do on one pair of Rainbows, Reefs, etc.

This is the Hawaiian verson of the flip-flop.... (ok well maybe I am stretching the truth a little. This is not a wide-spread opinion but just a statement from one of my church youth. She thought flip-flop sounded like a pancake. I thought it was funny.)

Ok, so that is it for this week's edition of Hawaiian Word of the Week. And just to answer that burning question inside everyones head....yes I have converted to the rubbah slippah way of life, i have 4 pair--1 red, 1 blue and 2 black (my favorite is the black with seaturtles on the insoles) and i really do love to wear my Rainbows to church!