tuque

chained_bear Oohh, yeah. Propeller beanie gives good mouthfeel. Apr 18, 2008

reesetee Well, you could still call it a "propeller beanie." That would clarify things. (Besides, I like to say "propeller beanie.") Apr 18, 2008

pterodactyl After checking Wikipedia, I've come to realize that my "hat with propeller" definition is probably due to my having learned the word from old Calvin and Hobbes comic strips.

I stand duly corrected, and shall revise my usage forthwith. :) Apr 18, 2008

reesetee That's a biretta, of course. Not to be confused with berritta or Beretta. Or Baretta, for that matter.

My head hurts. Apr 18, 2008

chained_bear I don't necessarily think of propeller beanies when I think of beanies. The reason why can be found here. I know that's not its real name, but that's what I think of when I hear "beanie." Apr 18, 2008

bilby Sarra's bobble hat makes me think of wobble-noggined Indians. Apr 18, 2008

bilby In the Australian context I can't envisage a football supporter's beanie without a pom-pom. It's ... just ... wrong. Apr 18, 2008

pterodactyl Beanie = tuque? Not in my idiolect! To me, the word "beanie" means "hat with a propeller on top" (like this).

Surely I'm not alone in this definition? Apr 18, 2008

chained_bear Or powder pimpalimpimp?

"The pom-pom is not deemed essential, although it greatly adds character." --frindley

I strongly agree that a pom-pom greatly adds character to all occasions, everywhere. I wear one on my head at all times. (There's a Facebook group called Bears in Ill-Fitting Hats, many of which feature pom-poms.) Thank you for calling attention to this important fashion issue, frindley.

As for whether it should be pom-pom, pom-pon, etc. It's definitely the former. Apr 17, 2008

reesetee This is news. I had no idea there were opposing pom-pom camps.

Now what about pom-pom vs. pom-pon? Or pompom vs. pompon? Or.... Apr 17, 2008

sarra With pompom: bobble hat.
Without: woolly hat.

Easy! Apr 17, 2008

frindley The pom-pom is not deemed essential, although it greatly adds character.

My theory is that the pom-pom is more common in slightly less cold countries, but in countries where some kind of hooded jacket is required as well the pom-pom becomes much less common. My favourite beanie with its luxurious pom-pom became impossible to wear in an Ohio winter, for example. Ironically, I'd bought it in Canada. Apr 17, 2008

bilby Ah. I feel almost duty bound to raise the issue of whether a pom-pom is an essential feature of beanieosity. Apr 17, 2008

frindley No no no! This is a beanie!
;-) Apr 17, 2008

reesetee With frills, mind you. Apr 17, 2008

bilby Marvellous link ptero. Now those are stovepipe hats that look like real stovepipes. Apr 17, 2008

Prolagus And please don't forget tæque, tøque, and the IKEA hat hangers täque, tåque, and töque. Apr 17, 2008

pterodactyl Yes! And mightn't there also be twques? (If so, perhaps they look like this.) Apr 17, 2008

bilby Don't forget tyques for our range of children's headwear. Apr 17, 2008

reesetee I say go. Besides, I can add them to my list. :-) Apr 17, 2008

pterodactyl The existence of both toques and tuques suggests that there should also be taques, teques, and tiques. Symmetry demands it. In order to provide empirical evidence of these elusive forms of headgear, I propose that we build a two billion dollar superhattery, perhaps in Switzerland somewhere. Apr 17, 2008