Author: SlangpediaMod

Welcome to the Slangpedia entry on shoes!  👟👠👞Here you’ll find a massive list of slang terms that can be used to refer to shoes, and slang words that are related to shoes. Some terms in this list refer to specific brands of shoes (e.g. “chucks”, referring to Chuck Taylor All-Stars), while other terms are direct slang synonyms of shoes (e.g. “kicks”). 👢🥿

• Kicks: Can refer to any type of shoe, but usually refers to sneakers/athletic shoes. 
  • Usage: “Do you like my new kicks?”
  • Origin: Modern-day “mainstream” usage of this term probably began in the 1980s, but the true origin is likely somewhere between 1897 and 1904, starting as hobo (travelling worker) slang, then moving to the Jazz scene, and on to the African American community which brought it into popular culture. More details here.
• Creps / Crep: Any type of trainer shoe (running shoes) – light weight shoes having rubber soles and designed for casual athetic activity. A derived term is “crep check” – referring to the inspection of one’s shoes. Sometimes spelled “crepes”.
  • Usage: “Check out my new creps”;  “That guy has decent crep”
  • Origin: May stem from “krepis”, a thick-soled gladiator-style sandal from ancient Greek times, similar in appearance to the Roman caligae.
• Scooby doo’s: Refers to shoes of any kind, by may especially refer to shoes (sneakers/trainers) that you love, and take extremely good care of. Less commonly, it may sometimes specifically refer to tan-colored dress shoes that have a pattern of stitching down the sides.
  • Usage: “Na man, I got my scooby doos on”; “Gotta throw on ya Scooby Doo’s (Jay-Z)”
  • Origin: This term probably began as cockney rhyming slang for “shoes”, and was later picked up by sneaker culture.
• Feet whips: Can be used to refer to any type of shoe. Usage: “Air force Ones are the cadillacs of feet whips”
  • Origin: The slang term “whip” refers to an expensive car. Thus “feet whips” refers to expensive shoes (the “cars” of your feet).
• Sneakers: Another word for running shoes, or “trainers” – light weight shoes having rubber soles and designed for casual athetic activity. The term “sneaks” is also used in some places.
  • Usage: “The rubber on these sneakers is wearing pretty fast”
  • Origin: Between the 1830s and the 1920s, shoes made the transition from leather-soled to rubber-soled. The early rubber-soled shoes made less noise than the leather ones and so they became known as “sneaks”, and this term later evolved to “sneakers”.
    
• Tekkies: South African slang for trainers (sneakers / runnning shoes).
• Runners: Another word for “trainers” and “sneakers”, but with a slight leaning towards shoes that are designed for jogging/running. Also referred to as “joggers” in some places.
  
• Trainers: Another term for running shoes, originating in Britain.
• Loubs: Refers to shoes from the Christian Loubouton brand.
• Red bottoms: A pair of expensive Christian Louboutin shoes that have red soles.
• Enties: Refers to shoes from the Enties brand. They are traditionally skater shoes, but are also worn as casual shoes by those who don’t skate.
  
• Wookies: Fake shoes of any brand (knock-offs).
  • Usage: “Watch out, they sellin’ wookies”
• Mandal: A sandal, when worn by a man.
• Flandals: Shoes that are both flip-flops/flats and sandals. Flip-flops with an ankle strap. If men wear them, they are called “man flandals”.
  • Usage: “I love your flandals, where’d you get them?”
• Zories: Flip-flops.
• Jerusalem cruisers: Thick leather-style sandals that look as though they may have been commonly worn in the middle-east a few thousand years ago. The term sometimes refers to this type of sandal when it is worn with socks. They are sometimes associated with “hippy” culture. A common brand of these shoes is Birkenstock.
  • Usage: “Did you check out Ted’s new jerusalem cruisers?”
  • Origin: Leather-style sandals tend to be associated with the middle-east, and thus with Jesus and Jerusalem, hence the name. “Cruiser”, here, is likely intentional irony.
• Jesus boots: A slang term for sandals that have a “middle-eastern” vibe.
• Birks: A slang term for Birkenstock sandals. 
• Shelltoes: Refers to the Adidas shoes whose toes are shaped a bit like a shell. The shoes are also known for the three bands that run down either side. Synonyms include “clamtoe”, “shell shoes”, “shell tops”, and “sea shells”.
  • Usage: “I’m just a sneaker pro, I love pumas and shell toes (Nelly)”
  • Origin: The Adidas Superstar line was the originator of the shelltoe style. It was introduced as a low-top version of pro basketball shoes. It had a large influence on sneaker culture.
• KOTD: An acronym for “kicks of the day”, meaning the pair of shoes that you are wearing today.
• Dunks:  Refers to shoes from the Dunk line of the Nike brand.
• Chucks: A pair of Chuck Taylor All Stars shoes. They’re also called Converse All Stars.
  • Usage: “Had these chucks since I was 15” 
  • Origin: Converse has been owned by Nike since 2003, but has been in business since 1908. Chuck Taylor, a basketballer of the early 1900s joined a team in 1923 and was sponsored by Converse. He wore their recently released “All Stars”, and thus they gained his name through popular association.
• Tennies: Short for “tennis shoes”.
• Daps: A term for sports shoes and trainers used in some parts of England and Wales.
  • Origin: Derived from an advertisment for Dunlop Athletic Plimsols’.
• Slides: Open air shoes similar to flip-flops, except that they have one “hoop” that the foot slides under to keep the shoes in place.
• Jays: Short for Jordan brand basketball shoes. Can also be shortened further to J’s.
  
  • Usage: “Aye blood, you gettin’ them red an black Jays that come out on the 13th?”
• SB: Refers to shoes from the Nike SB line.
  • Usage:  “I just picked up a pair of SB’s at the dunk exchange.”
  • Origin: Nike Skateboarding, primarily known as Nike SB, is the Nike brand for its line of shoes, clothing, and equipment for skateboarding.
• Pumped up kicks: Shoes that are very expensive.
  • Origin: The source of this term is probably the original Reebok Pump, an expensive basketball high-top shoe from the late 1980s. It had an internal inflation mechanism that helped lock the shoe around one’s foot. Ther term was also the subject of a song by Foster the People about school shootings.
• Trips: Slang word for shoes that may have originated in skater subcultures.
• High-tops: Sneakers that end above the ankle. The “boots” of the sneaker world. They were traditionally made for basketball to help brace the player’s ankles to prevent breaking/spraining.
• Low-tops: Sneakers that end at or below the ankle – like runners. Sometimes also called just “lows”, or described as “short set”.
• Beaters: Shoes that you continually choose to wear, even after they’re worn out. Even if you have 1,000 pairs of sneakers, you’ll always wind up with a pair of beaters.
  • Usage: “These are my beaters, mad fucked up, I know.”
• Biscuits: Old shoes that are in bad condition because they’ve been worn out. May also indicate that the shoes were cheap or bad quality to begin with.
  • Usage: “Got these biscuits at payless so I don’t ruin my good ones”
• Gutties: A term used in (at least) Northern Ireland to refer to cheap training shoes.
• Skippies: Cheap, generic shoes. Frequently sold at Walmart, K-Mart, Payless, etc. The term goes back at least as far as the 90s.
  • Usage: “My Jays are totally busted, so I bought some skippies until I can save up for a new pair.”
    
• Monkey plastics: Cheap shoes that are made mostly of plastic or generally inferior materials.
  • Usage: “I’m supposed to be gettin’ me some new shoes from mom for my bday – I hope they’re not monkey plastics!”
• Shaq shoes: Cheap basketball shoes with Shaq branding on them.
• Maypops: Cheap, generic-brand shoes, generally bought at discount stores, Walmart, etc.
• Buddies: Cheap, non-name-brand shoes. Usually purchased at Walmart and made in China.
• No heat: When someone wears “played out” or corny sneakers/boots/etc., they may be said to have “no heat”.
• Plats: Short for platform shoes.
• Creeper: A type of platform shoe that women and men from some alternative scenes wear. See here for images.
  • Usage: “I want the black creepers with the red skull artwork.”
• Sperrys: Refers to shoes from the American boat shoe brand of the same name, designed by Paul A. Sperry in 1935. Related brands include Sebago and Timberland.
• Tims / Timbs: Shoes that are from the Timberlands brand, which is famous for its durable, waterproofor shoe brand.
• Waffle stompers: Slang for heavy boots with big tread – for example, those used for hiking. The terms comes from the patterns they make in the dirt. Be careful though, this term has other definitions.
• Stomps: Any type of shoe. Not a super common term in most places.
• Sh*tkicker: A pair of large heavy boots. This can refer to anything from farmer/cowboy and construction worker’s boots, to combat boots, to heavy-tread semi-platform boots worn in “industrial” alternative scenes like rivetheads. It is sometimes shortened to “kickers”.
  
• Clodhopper: A thick, heavy shoe.
  • Usage: “size-fourteen clodhoppers”
• Pump: A light, low-cut shoe – especially one without any fastenings (laces, buckles). For example, a plimsoll.
• Stripper boots/heels/shoes: Knee-high, or even thigh-high boots that often have large heels.
• Moccs: Short for moccasins.
  
• Air Force Ones: The name of an extremely popular line of Nike shoes. They are the subject of a song by American rapper Nelly. Can also be shortened to af1’s.
• Uptowns: New York term for Air Force Ones, a popular Nike brand of basketball sneakers.
  • Usage: “Yo, I gots to get me a pair of crispy uptowns. These ones are all torn up.”
• Harlems: New York (esp. Yonkers, NY) term for Air Force Ones.
• G-Nikes: The New Orleans term for Air Force Ones.
• Uppies: A San Francisco Bay Area slang term for shoes.
  • Usage: “Damn Jay Jay those are some hella clean and fresh uppies”
• Coke whites: Air Force Ones that are white. Mentioned in the song “Vans” by The Pack. This term’s definition may have broadened to include any white Nike shoes.
• Airs: Slang for Nike shoes, especially the Air line (Air, Air Max, Air Force One, etc.).
• Dookies: Midwest US term refering only to Nike Air Force One brand street shoes. Careful though, because in other places this can refer to feces.
• Willie Dee’s: Greater Charleston (SC) and Tri-County area (Charleston, Berkely, and Dorchester) slang for Nike Air Force Ones.
• Flaves: A Richmond/Roanoke, VA term for Air Force 1’s.
• Tires: Shoes, especially basketball shoes.
• Shooz: A slang alternative spelling of “shoes”.
• Steps: Can refer to any shoe (similar to “kicks”), but usually used for new shoes that are desirable/vintage/etc.
  • Usage: “My man, those new steps are tight!”
• T-Macs: Shoes from Tracy McGrady’s signature basketball footwear and apparel line – from his lifetime sponsorship with Adidas. 
• $150 land mines: A reference the this boondocks episode. It refers to a pair of expensive sneakers – because if you accidentally tread on someone’s expensive sneaker’s, they’re going to get really mad.
• Shoothing: Fine footwear. Dress-shoes or otherwise aestetically pleasing shoes.
  • Usage: “John is always sporting the finest of shoothing!”
• Stilettos: I type of high-heeled shoe where the heel gets narrower as it goes towards the ground. The term “stiletto” may also refer to the heel itself, rather than the whole shoe. It is named after a short dagger with a tapering blade.
• Go Fasters: United States Marines slang for running shoes.
• Nelipot: A person who walks without shoes; one who goes barefoot. They may feel that shoes are a prison for their feet.
  • Usage: “The nelipot walked slowly, letting the mud squeeze up between their toes.”
    
• Keb: A foot, especially one that is bare and unwashed.
  • Usage: “Get your stinking kebs of the table”
• Calcos: A Californian slang term for shoes, and especially dress shoes. It comes from the Spanish word: calzado, meaning footwear.
  • Usage: “I’m going to the theatre tonight and I’ll be wearing my new calcos and suit.”
• Heat: This can refer to a large and/or rare collection of shoes, such as Jordans and Nike SBs. The shoes may also be vintage or exclusive.
  • Usage: “He wore Unkles on Saturday, Preme Highs on Sunday, and today he’s wearing Firereds. That man has heat!”; “Brotha’s got heat on his feet.”
• Slips: A slang term for shoes, especially sneakers, or slip-on shoes.
  • Usage: “Just picked up my new slips”
• Fuma: Knock-off or fake Puma shoes. .
• Bape: Short for “bathing ape”, a fashion brand famous for its shoes. The term “fape” is sometimes used to refer to knock-off/fake versions of these shoes.
• Icy whites: A slang term for Reebok Classic shoes.
• Gators: Shoes made of alligator or crocodile leather, worn by people who think killing animals for fashion makes them a pimp.
• Steppers: A pair of flashy, conspicuous shoes. For example, they may be very high heeled. Usually said with the implication that the wearer wants to be seen as sexy. Can be used for male shoes that look good too.
• Turf dogs: Turf (soccer) shoes. Only to be worn all-purposely if you are a lax bro.
  • Usage: “I wear my turf dogs all the time because I am a laxer.”
• I like your shoes: A complement that apparently indicates the giver is attracted to the reciever.
• NSNSNS: Acronym for “No shoes, no shirt, no service”; a rule at many restaurants.
• Shoepping: Shopping for shoes.
• Flintstone feet: If someone’s can walk barefoot anywhere without hurting their feet, they may be said to have Flintstone feet. 
• Shoe game: All the shoes you own, your shoe wardrobe, used when comparing the type and amount of shoes you have against another person.
  • Usage: “My shoe game is sick i got custom air max 95, jordans 8, brown clarks, construction tims, shell toe addias, durango boots, and some imported air force ones.”
• Sneakerhead: A sneaker enthusiast. Someone who collects Jordans, Air Force Ones, Dunks, Maxes, etc. They’re the sort of person who’s willing to camp out all night in massive lines for a pair of exclusives. They usually know a lot about their shoes and the history of their brands. May also be written as “sneaker head” or “sneaker-head”.
• Shoehead: A more general term for “sneakerhead” that applies to other types of shoes/boots/heels/etc.
• Dopemans: A term for shoes from the Nike Cortez brand.
• Grail: The shoe that shoe/sneaker enthusiasts want the most for their collection. The shoes they will do anything for, including selling or trading their whole collection for it.
  • Usage: “Those hawain dunks are my grails”
    
• Zapatos: Spanish for “shoes”, but often used by non-spanish people too.
• Kicklets: African American slang for socks.
  • Usage: “Yo brotha, yo can’t be wearing dem kicklets witcho sandals”
• Squeaks: Sneakers, or shoes – especially in the context of basketball.
  • Usage: “I’m gonna school you homie! I gots new squeaks!”
  • Origin: Derived from the sound that basketball shoes make on the court.
• Blow out: When you wear out a hole in your shoes.
  • Usage: “Aw crap my fav pair of airwalks had a blow out!”
• Shoe golf: A game in which the goal is to flick, throw or kick one’s shoes at distant objects such as trees. See here for more details.
• Shoewagger: The “swagger”/confidence that one gets from wearing new or high-quality/desirable shoes.
• Deadstock: Shoes that are brand new and have never been worn, or even tried on. Often used on auction sites to describe brand new shoes that are still in the box. The acronyms NDS and VNDS refer to “nearly deadstock” and “very nearly deadstock”. Deadstock
• NIB: Stands for “New In Box” – a synonym for deadstock (though some people say “deadstock” is a stricter version that means it has never even been take out of the box).
• Schuster: The German word for shoemaker.
• Gabete: Puerto Rican Spanish for shoe lace.
• Godasse: French for “shoe”.
• Booties: Womens boots that end right at the ankle. Sometimes called “ankle boots”, but ankle boots may refer to boots that go just past the ankle (i.e. half way between boots and booties).
• Deubré / Debray: The ornamental tag at the bottom of the laces of a shoe. It originated with the Nike AF1’s. It is pronounced something like “doo-bray” in most places.
• Jumpman: The logo on Nike’s Jordan-brand shoes.
• OGs: Shoes that were from the original release of a particular line. Not a re-release. It means “original”. The first time a shoe released is the only time a sneaker is called OG.
• On ice: Having a pair of shoes “on ice” means you have a pair of deadstock kicks that you haven’t worn yet.
• Player edition: Shoes that were for a specific basketball player, but then released to retail, often in small quantities. For example, the Ray Allen Air Jordan XIII.
• Reseller: Someone who buys sneakers and resells them at a higher price – usually on an auction site like ebay.
• Gellin’: If one is “gellin”, they’re wearing gel insoles, e.g. by Dr. Scholl’s.
• Soap shoes: Shoes with “grinding plates” on the bottom, made to grind down hand-rails.

That’s our list so far! Got some shoe slang that we don’t? Share it in the form below!