Why is the fastener called “zipper”?

What kind of fasteners have not been invented for clothes! Snaps, hooks, buttons... And of course, zippers! They are perhaps the most popular and practical among other accessories. You don’t have to deal with each element separately: one movement, the usual “zip!” - and the parts of clothing and shoes are firmly connected. Such a lock is certainly more convenient, but what does the zipper have to do with it? Why did they start using the name of a natural phenomenon, electric discharge, for fittings?

Clasp with history

The name is associated with the features of the design itself. Everyone knows them.

The history of “lightning” goes back more than 170 years. However, it was not immediately possible to make automatic fittings that would require minimal human action. Therefore, several people are considered to be the creators of such a fastener.

• Elias Howe also in 1851 I tried to connect hooks on a metal chain for a year by moving a special key that looked like a paperclip. But the bulky design did not seem convenient to him.
• Whitcomb Judson V 1891 year, he not only independently came up with a similar design of hooks and loops, but even received a patent for his invention. However, the lock was not easy to use. Just imagine the instructions teaching how to use the new clasp: it took up 2 pages!
• Gideon Sundback luckier. For several years he worked on improving the design, and he managed to make it simpler and more reliable. IN 1913 year, a new version was patented. And then it gradually became popular, displacing other species. The attractiveness was explained by convenience and reliability. Thousands of fasteners were used to sew a wide variety of clothing and shoes.

A new type of fittings has become popular. But it wasn’t called lightning then! How did this name come about?

What does lightning have to do with it?

Since its creation, the new invention has changed not only its design, but also its name.
At first, the name contained the specific name of the device.

• Clasp. This is what its discoverers called their inventions, but they tried to distinguish the design from other objects by adding a clarification to the name. For example, Elias Howe called it “automatic continuous fastener for clothes" Whitcomb Judson, on the contrary, thought the best option was “shoe fasteners».
• Zipper (zipper). This version of the name is already about 100 years old. This is how the device began to be called in the 20s of the last century. The option caught on because it was simple and understandable.

Reference. The name zipper, which appeared in 1923, is based on the onomatopoeia zzzip. In Russian it can be replaced with “vzhzhik”. This sound made by the fastener was noticed by a rubber shoe company that uses comfortable fittings.

• "Lightning". And finally, “lightning”! The name “zipper” existed in our country, but it was not the one that took root. Instead of a foreign word, the word “zipper” began to be used to designate popular accessories. But the point here is not the electrical discharge or the sparks that accompany it. The main thing that made it possible to combine the device with the name was the speed inherent in natural phenomena. Lightning instantly appears in the sky and disappears just as quickly. Speed ​​is also a feature of this fastener. With its help, it is possible to connect parts of clothes and shoes almost at lightning speed, with one movement of the hand.

This is how we got the opportunity to control lightning. Not heavenly, of course, but very useful!