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A plimsoll, also spelled plimsole, or pump (also known as a gym shoe or a sandshoe), is a light sports shoe with a canvas upper and flat rubber sole.

The shoe originated in the United Kingdom, there called a "sand shoe", acquiring the nickname "plimsoll" in the 1870s. This name arose, according to Nicholette Jones's book The Plimsoll Sensation, because the coloured horizontal band joining the upper to the sole resembled the Plimsoll line on a ship's hull, or because, just like the line on a ship, if water got above the line of the rubber sole, the wearer would get wet.

In the UK, plimsolls are commonly worn for school indoor physical education. Regional terms are common: In Northern Ireland and Scotland, they may be known as "gutties"; "sannies" (from 'sand shoe') is used in Scotland. In parts of Edinburgh and Midlothian, they are known as "rubbers" or "gym rubbers", owing to their rubber soles and the need to wear them in the school gym hall. In London, the home counties, much of the West Midlands, the West Riding of Yorkshire, and northwest of England, they are known as "pumps". In parts of the West Country and Wales, they are known as "daps". There is a widespread belief that "daps" is taken from a factory sign—"Dunlop Athletic Plimsoles", which was called "the DAP factory". However, this seems unlikely, as the first citation in the Oxford English Dictionary of "dap" for a rubber-soled shoe is a March 1924 use in the Western Daily Press newspaper; Dunlop did not acquire the Liverpool Rubber Company (as part of the merger with the Macintosh group of companies) until 1925.

In Hong Kong, white plimsolls functioned as cheap athletic shoes from the 1970s to the 1990s. Due to naming taboo (in Cantonese, 鞋 (shoes), sounds identical to 骸 (corpse)) and their color and shape resembling noodlefish, they were commonly known as baahk faahn yú(白飯魚). A pair typically cost around $15 HKD (around $2 USD) and was the designated gym class shoe in school. However, due to the canvas being thin and thus unable to protect the ankles and lacking support for the foot arch, plimsolls were eventually phased out and replaced by more sturdy sneakers

See also

• Sneakers

References

1. ^ "plimsoll". Collins English Dictionary. Collins English Dictionary. 2023. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
2. ^ "plimsoll". Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2023. Archived from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
3. "99% Invisible, Episode 33 – A Cheer for Samuel Plimsoll". 4 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
4. "sannies". Dictionary of Playground Slang (Online). Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
5. "BBC Word Map – enter What they wear and Child's soft shoes". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
6. "Footwear". Our Dialects. 1 January 2019. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
7. "第55章 ﹣ 白飯魚" [Chapter 55 – Rice Fish]. tamshui.blogspot.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2024.

v t e Footwear
Abandoned footwear Shoe Shoemaking Shoe size
Dress shoes	Blucher Brogues Brothel creepers Derby Monks Oxfords Spectator shoes (Co-respondent shoes) Winklepickers Wholecuts Slip-on shoes Court shoes Prince Albert slippers Loafers Venetian-style shoes Women's Ballet flats High-heeled footwear Mary Janes Mojari Mules Peep-toe shoes Saddle shoes Slingbacks
Other shoes	Driving moccasins Flip-flops Galoshes Platform shoes Sandals Self-tying shoes Slides Slippers (Uwabaki) Tiger-head shoes Veldskoens Zōri
Wooden footwear	Bakya British clogs Cantabrian albarcas Clogs Geta Klompen Namaksin Okobo Padukas Pattens Sabot Träskor
Boots	Military Ammunition boots Bunny boots Combat boots Jackboots Jump boots Jungle boots Tanker boots Trench boots Munson Last Work Australian work boots Cowboy boots Engineer boots Hip boots Jika-tabi Rigger boots Steel-toe boots Waders Fashion boots Chelsea boots (Beatle boots) Chukka boots Go-go boots Knee-high boots Over-the-knee boots Platform boots Thigh-high boots Ugg boots Other Jodhpur boots Wellington boots Ballet boots
Sport-related footwear	Athletic shoes Ballet shoes Boat shoes Climbing shoes Cross country running shoes Cycling shoes Football boots Ghillies Hiking boots Ice skates Inline skates Kung fu shoes Minimalist shoes Motorcycle boots Mountaineering boots Plimsolls Racing flats Racing shoes Riding boots Roller shoes Roller skates Sabatons Safari boots Skate shoes Ski boots Sneakers Swimfins Water shoes Wrestling shoes
Folk footwear	Abacas Abarkas Alpargatas Avarcas Balghas Bast shoes Ciocie Clogs Espadrilles Furlane Galesh Geta Giveh Haferlschuh Hnyat-phanats Huarache Hwa Jipsin Jorabs Kamiks Kolhapuri chappals Moccasins Mojaris Mukluks Nalins Okobo Opanci Peshawari chappals Snowshoes Tsarouchi Takunya Upanah Valenkis Waraji Zōri
Historical footwear	Areni-1 shoes Buskins Calcei Caligae Carbatina Cavalier boots Chinese styles Chopines Duckbill shoes Flowerpot shoes Hessians Lotus shoes Pampooties Pigaches Poulaines Socci Turnshoes
Shoe construction	Bespoke shoes Blake construction Goodyear welt Shoe buckle Shoelaces Toe box High heels Clear heels Kitten heels Spool heels Stiletto heels Wedges
Hosiery	Anklets Bobby socks Dress socks Footwraps Knee highs Pantyhose Sock Stocking Tights Toe socks Tabi
List of shoe styles

• Athletic shoes