A bib is a piece of cloth or plastic that babies and young children wear over their chests while eating to keep their clothes clean from spills and drips. Picture a toddler learning to use a spoon: more food might end up on the bib than in their mouth! Bibs usually tie or snap around the neck and hang down to catch whatever doesn't make it into the mouth.

Today, we mostly associate bibs with messy eaters of the younger variety.

Athletes wear bibs too, but these serve a completely different purpose. In races and sporting events, competitors wear numbered bibs (usually made of paper or thin fabric) pinned to their shirts so judges, timers, and spectators can identify them. If you've ever run in a school fun run, you probably wore a bib with your number on it. These racing bibs help organize events with hundreds or even thousands of participants, making it possible to track who crosses the finish line and in what order.