plimsoll

[prettygoodword]

plimsoll (PLIM-suhl, PLIM-sohl) - (UK) n., a canvas shoe with a rubber sole, a sneaker/trainer.



Thanks, WikiMedia!

Also known by other names. Used primarily for indoor physical activities, but not as much as formerly as the flat sole has no arch support, unlike more modern sports shoes. The name, though -- Samuel Plimsoll (1824-1898) was a Bristol merchant and politician who devised the load line marks painted on the sides of ships. The marks on the soles included patterns that reminded people of the most prominent load line mark is ⦵ (or o), and so the shoe was named after the marks named after the man.

---L.

Comments

[movingfinger]

Huh. I have only seen these with siped soles, so I assumed they had always been boat shoes! That's very interesting that they started as something else!

[prettygoodword]

I gather there's been many variations on the sole, but yeah, siped seems to be most common now.