Baby Diapers

BABY DIAPERS
There is a popular belief that the city of Ypres in Flanders is responsible for the invention and first manufacture of this important item in junior's wardrobe. According to this story. the word "diaper" is merely a different spelling of the city's name. Unfortunately, this is incorrect. The word comes from the Middle English "diapre," meaning figured cloth.

WHY WE SAY...
A Guidebook to Current Idioms and Expressions — and Where They Came From
By Robert L. Morgan, Illustrated by Peter Hoffman
Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1953.

Blogged on A Damn Fine Product.