No-one seems to know how the ‘fifi hook’ got its name, though there is some talk of poodles being dragged along having been ‘hooked’ by the collar! We do know that fifi’s are used primarily for aid, or artificial climbing, where it is hooked into a piton, or other piece of fixed protection, so a climber can have a rest or clip in an etrier (rope or rope ladder) to make upward progress. The little ‘eye’ at the top is for a length of cord, the idea being that a climber can make the next move upwards while the fifi remains clipped into the lower piece of protection, it can then be pulled up once the next piton is reached – yes!, it is a bit complicated. A much simpler use is to have the fifi attached to the climber’s harness via a length of cord, it can then be clipped into the fixed protection while the climber has a rest, takes a picture or lights a fag. A karabiner does the same job, though it’s easier to hook a fifi than clip a karabiner.