What are these called?

Because you said this:

Yes.

 

Frock isn't a commonly used term in the uk either.

 

Yes.

But what are these? Are they sandals or are they shoes?

 

Right, but the dress that a person wears would depend on the context. Without the nightclub context, with no context at all, then, yes, "dress" could equally mean the uniform dress or an evening gown. But when you add the nightclub context, then the evening gown is of course more likely.

Just as context tells you whether the word "shoes" is more likely to refer to running shoes, or patent-leather high heels.

A word doesn't need to include everything within itself. It can depend on context. Both dress and shoes depend on context.

 

They're both.

 

As has been said, there are different kinds of dresses. All it is is a one-piece garment that goes from neck to thigh or longer. Technically, what you're showing us is a dress. A shirtdress, a frock, a uniform dress, what have you, but it's still a dress.

 

So if my character was wearing these, and I said 'shoes' you'd picture these?

 

"Shoes" can refer to many different kind of shoes, but the word is equally valid when applied to all of them. "Dress" can refer to many different kinds of dresses, but the word is equally valid when applied to all of them.

 

But I'm not talking technically! I make it perfectly clear in my first post that I'm asking if the garment I posted (worn for working activities) had a name. And 'dress' does not describe it, so why would I use dress and expect people to picture the garment I want them to?

 

We wouldn't picture anything without context. Shoes and dresses have so many different styles, it's impossible to name them all. But if someone was on the beach and wrote, "My shoes slipped off my feet and into the sand," I'd absolutely picture those.

We already told you what it's called: a shirt dress.

Edit: Or a button front dress.

 

I'm stopping now before I lose it and say something I'll regret.

 

"Dress" does not completely describe it. But that doesn't make "dress" inaccurate, it makes it not as specific as you would like. The garment IS a dress. If that's insufficiently specific, then you can add adjectives and other descriptive word until it's as precise as you'd like.

If I referred to the person behind the counter at a coffee house as a "person" it wouldn't be accurate to say "No, they're not." They are a person. You may want more specifics, but they nevertheless remain a person.

 

I think you're just looking for something that doesn't exist. We told you what it's called, and it doesn't work for you. So if it doesn't, you'll need to add more than just the name of the garment to portray what you want to the reader.

 

Yes. @OurJud, for the shoe that you showed, there is a separate word: "sandal." But there's no law that says there has to be a separate word--they could have been, say, "topless shoes" or "strapped shoes" or something like that. In the case of the shoe, there's a separate word. In the case of some dresses, there are separate words, like "sheath". In the case of the dress that you want, the closest thing to a separate word is "shirtdress." I know that you want a specific separate word. But there isn't one.

 

It wasn't the fact there's no specific word, it was the mad debate over the definition of the word 'dress' that started to get to me

 

I'm in danger of debating whether there was a debate. Therefore, I'm going to shut up and seek caffeine.