the.com/flipper
The limb evolution gave fish-loving mammals so they'd stop pretending legs were working out.
means A broad, flattened limb used for swimming — found on seals, whales, and turtles, or strapped onto human feet to fake the same trick.
from Straightforward agent-noun territory: 'flip' (to turn or flap with a quick motion) plus the '-er' that turns an action into a thing that does it. 'Flip' itself is likely imitative, echoing the light smack of a quick turning motion — related to 'flap' and 'flick,' words that sound like what they mean. 'Flipper' surfaces in English for the animal limb, then gets borrowed in the 20th century for the rubber swim-fins divers strap on, humans once again copying the animals' homework.
- origin
- dolphins and whales re-evolved legs back into fins
- bone truth
- still contains wrist and finger bones inside
- pop culture
- also a 1964 dolphin who outacted most humans
- tech slang
- nickname for a hacker gadget that mimics key fobs