Editor's Corner

Hello, folks! I have some more hats for you today, from the Merriam-Webster hats quiz!

toque blanche

Toque can be traced back to the Old Spanish toca meaning “headdress.”

tam o’shanter

The tam o’shanter is named for the titular character of a work by 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns. [KC – I have a small tam almost exactly like this, but the ball on top of mine is yellow. I’m not Scottish, but apparently my grandma thought it was so cute she dressed me in an outfit of this plaid when I was little. I don’t remember
if my brother got a matching kilt…]

kufi

Kufi is thought to originate from kaffiyeh, the Arab headdress.

sou’wester

Often worn at sea during stormy weather, the sou’wester is waterproof and its brim is longer in the back to protect the wearer’s neck.

Panama hat

Despite their name, these hats originated in Ecuador and were exported to Panama. They became associated with that country during the construction of the Panama Canal.

bicorne

Bicornes (originating from the Latin for “two-horned”) were typically worn front-to-back, but Napoleon wore his with the tips pointing towards his shoulders. [KC – That Napoleon sure was a trend-setter!]

pith helmet

Pith is a type of spongy plant tissue used to make early versions of this hat.

shako

A shako is “a stiff military hat with a high crown and plume.” While the ostentatious cap has fallen out of favor with modern armies, many marching bands still sport shakos today.

chullo

The chullo is a traditional Peruvian knitted cap with earflaps whose style has been adopted in other parts of the world.

bycoket

Typically now associated with Robin Hood, the bycoket was a stylish bit of headwear around the 15th century.

As I mentioned the other day, there are so many more types of hats! I know I’d hate to have to wear a hat every day, but I sure love watching old movies or going into antique stores and looking at the hats of yore. I guess if I lived in England, I would probably have the opportunity to wear a fancy hat now and then. Many years ago when we visited York during racing season, everyone wore hats to go see the horses!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/