Merkin: Difference between revisions
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* In an episode of the satirical panel show [[QI]] on the BBC, Rory Bremner pointed out that President George W Bush frequently refers to himself as A Merkin due to the way he pronounces the word American. For instance: "I'm proud to be a merkin." |
* In an episode of the satirical panel show [[QI]] on the BBC, Rory Bremner pointed out that President George W Bush frequently refers to himself as A Merkin due to the way he pronounces the word American. For instance: "I'm proud to be a merkin." |
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* In his 2009 [[Showtime]] comedy special "Robert Schimmel: Life Since", comedian [[Robert Schimmel]] talks about being offered a "Merkin" when he began chemotherapy for stage three Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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Revision as of 06:00, 25 January 2009
A merkin (first use, according to the OED, 1617) is a pubic wig, originally worn by prostitutes after shaving their genitalia to eliminate lice or disguise the marks of syphilis. Also many women used them so they didn't have to hide the fact that they had shaved their genitalia. There are many different ways of wearing a merkin, although most involve placing the merkin on the vulva or the scrotum.[citation needed]
The term is also applied to decorative (typically sequinned) patches commonly sold in sets with nipple tassels or "pasties" and are enjoying new popularity as part of the costume of new burlesque adult entertainment.
In American cinema, merkins are currently used in films where they are worn by actors and actresses to prevent inadvertent exposure of the genitalia during nude or semi-nude scenes. If no merkin were worn, it would be necessary to restrict the shot to exclude the genital area; with the merkin in place brief flashes of the crotch can be used if necessary. The presence of the merkin protects the actor from inadvertently performing 'full-frontal' nudity (their contract may specifically require that nipples and genitals be covered in some way), and can help ensure that the film achieves a more "acceptable" MPAA rating. [1]
Houghton Mifflin's American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition describes the term's etymology as stemming from an "alteration of obsolete malkin, lower-class woman, mop, from Middle English; from Malkin, diminutive of the personal name Matilda."[citation needed]
It has also been suggested that, in the period when male actors played female parts, they would cover their genitals with a merkin so they could expose themselves as women in bawdy scenes.[2]
A "short and curly history of the merkin" in The Guardian provided a partial history of the merkin. It highlighted "comedy terrorist" Aaron Barschak's flashing of a merkin to onlookers. [3]
Other usage
The term can be used in an obscure sense to refer to the vulva. [4] In addition, it is used in modern slang to refer to Americans. [5]
Merkins in popular culture
 | This section may contain irrelevant references to popular culture. |
The term merkin is used frequently in literature, film, music, and art as an inside joke. Several examples of this include:
- The character of President Merkin Muffley, played by Peter Sellers in Stanley Kubrick's black comedy Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is satirically named after this object. Coupled with his last name, "muff" being slang for pubic hair.
- The 1969 film Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? written by and starring Anthony Newley, is a veritable cornucopia of dirty-joke names. In addition to the two in the title, there's a character (played by Joan Collins), named Polyester Poontang.
- Australian talk show host Rove McManus jokes frequently on his show about merkins including wearing a shirt for the Merkins basketball team.
- "Merkin" is the name of a character in the Sandman comic book.
- Maynard James Keenan of Tool owns Merkin Vineyards in Arizona.
- In San Francisco, an event called Merkinstock was masterminded by producer Lu Read a.k.a. Fudgie Frottage as a spin-off of Lady Bunny's Wigstock. The first Merkinstock occurred in 1993 and a second in 1999[6] The event is scheduled to return in 2009.
- In the television show The L Word, the character Jenny's book is reviewed unfavorably by a woman named Stacy Merkin. Jenny frequently refers to Stacy angrily as a "vagina wig."
- In an episode of the satirical panel show QI on the BBC, Rory Bremner pointed out that President George W Bush frequently refers to himself as A Merkin due to the way he pronounces the word American. For instance: "I'm proud to be a merkin."
- In his 2009 Showtime comedy special "Robert Schimmel: Life Since", comedian Robert Schimmel talks about being offered a "Merkin" when he began chemotherapy for stage three Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
External links
- Straight Dope article on merkins
- Alt-usage-english.org Michael B. Quinion and Ruth Bygrave, "Merkin"
References
- ^ David Duchovny, DVD commentary for Stephen Soderberg's 'Full Frontal'
- ^ Harker, Joseph (1994). Notes & Queries, vol. 5. London: Fourth Estate. pp. 96–7. ISBN 1-85702-266-1.
- ^ Francis, Gareth (2003-06-26). "A short and curly history of the merkin". The Guardian.
- ^ A New English Dictionary of Historical Principles (1933) - Merkin
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary - Merkin
- ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/09/03/DD13979.DTL&hw=merkinstock&sn=003&sc=509