zipper foot, n.

zipper-foot
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zipper-foot_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 2021

# zipper footnoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zipper foot mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zipper foot. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

### Where does the noun zipper foot come from?

Earliest known use

1930s

The earliest known use of the noun zipper foot is in the 1930s.

OED's earliest evidence for zipper foot is from 1938, in Republican-Courier (Findlay, Ohio).

### Nearby entries

1. zip line, v. 1998–
2. zipliner, n. 1993–
3. zip lining, n.?1983–
4. zip-lipped, adj. 1943–
5. ziplock, n. 1928–
6. zipped, adj. 1931–
7. zippeite, n. 1850–
8. zipper, n. 1923–
9. zipper, v. 1927–
10. zippered, adj. 1926–
11. zipper foot, n.1938–
12. zipperhead, n. 1967–
13. zipper problem, n. 1985–
14. Zippie, n.¹ 1968–
15. zippie, n.² 1986–
16. zippily, adv. 1924–
17. zippiness, n. 1907–
18. zipping, n. 1868–
19. Zippo, n.¹ 1944–
20. zippo, n.² 1973–
21. zippy, adj. 1889–

## Meaning & use

1. 1938–
   A type of sewing machine foot (see foot n. A.IV.11d) designed for sewing zips into clothing, etc.
   1. 1938

      > The following practical Christmas presents may be purchased here..: zipper feet for White or Singer machines, self-wringing mops, etc.

      Republican-Courier (Findlay, Ohio) 20 December 7 (advertisement)
   2. 1991

      > All the machines except the new Home JA1508 have a zipper foot that can be shifted from left to right of the needle.

      Which? October 593/1
   3. 2013

      > An invisible zipper foot is different from a regular zipper foot because it has grooves in the bottom for the zipper teeth to slide through and it allows the needle to get much closer to the teeth than a regular zipper foot does.

      J. Giammalva, Essent. A-line 17
   needlework
   1. presser bar 1813–
      a. The part of a knitting machine which drives a hook on the needle into a groove running along the needle; b. the vertical bar in a sewing machine…
   2. flat bed 1819–
      A horizontal surface forming a distinctive or functional part of an apparatus, as in a sewing machine, a scanner, etc. Also: an apparatus or…
   3. shuttle 1847–
      transferred. A reciprocating thread-holder in a sewing machine, which carries the lower thread through the loop of the upper one to make a…
   4. foot 1854–
      In specific technical uses. In a sewing machine: an attachment for holding fabric flat as it is fed through the machine, held in position above the…
   5. looper 1857–
      A contrivance for making loops, e.g. in a sewing machine.
   6. take-up 1859–
      In a sewing machine: a moving part, esp. a lever with an eyelet, through which the upper thread passes up between the tension plates and the needle…
   7. work holder 1859–
      a. A device in a sewing machine for holding the fabric (now historical); b. Engineering the part of a machine tool that holds the object being…
   8. feller 1860–
      An attachment for a sewing machine, used for felling seams (see fell, v. II.7).
   9. shuttle-carrier 1860–
      The arm or other device which reciprocates the shuttle in a sewing machine.
   10. automatic tension 1864–
       A device on a sewing machine that automatically adjusts the tension of the thread.
   11. binder 1865–
       In various technical applications. An appliance attached to a sewing machine for putting binding on cloth.
   12. braider 1866–
       A part of a sewing machine, used for stitching braid on cloth.
   13. ruffler 1868–
       An attachment for a sewing machine, used for making ruffles.
   14. presser foot 1875–
       The footplate of a sewing machine which holds the material down over the feed.
   15. shuttle-winder a1877–
   16. tension-device 1877–
       transferred. The degree of tightness or looseness of the stitches in machine sewing or in knitting. Hence (also tension-device), a device in a sewing…
   17. thread-cutter 1877–
       a. A small blade attached to a sewing machine or the like for severing a sewing-thread; b. a tool or machine for cutting screw-threads.
   18. thread-oiler 1877–
       An oil vessel through which the thread was conducted in some sewing machines (Knight, 1877).
   19. tuck-creaser 1877–
       An attachment in a sewing machine which marks the line of, or folds down, the next tuck in readiness for stitching (E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech.…
   20. tucking-gauge 1877–
       See quot.
   21. tuck-marker 1877–
       = tuck-creaser, n.
   22. thread-guide 1924–
       A device in a sewing- or spinning-machine for directing the thread (Knight, 1877).
   23. zipper foot 1938–
       A type of sewing machine foot (see foot, n. A.IV.11d) designed for sewing zips into clothing, etc.
   24. free arm 1948–
       A protruding arm on a sewing machine, designed to facilitate the sewing of tube-shaped items such as sleeves and trouser legs; (also) a sewing…
   25. balance-wheel 1961–
       The regulating device in some types of watch or clock (also figurative); also, a similar device on a sewing machine.
   26. tuck-folder
       = tuck-creaser, n.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

Originally published as part of the entry for zipper, n.

zipper foot, n. was first published in 2021.