What exactly is a “merkin”? Ever since the word was thrust into my consciousness it’s been tormenting me. My Oxford English Dictionary defines it as the “female pudendum,” which seems a trifle sedate, given the listed quote of 1714, “This put a strange Whim in his Head; which was, to get the hairy circle of her Merkin …. This he dry’d well and comb’d out, and then return’d to the Cardinal, telling him he had brought Saint Peter’s Beard.”
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And it’s downhill from there. The OED “b” definition says a merkin is a “counterfeit hair for women’s privy parts,” and another dictionary calls it a “pubic hair wig.” Sorry, but these explanations defy understanding. I mean, I’ve heard of niche markets, but this is ridiculous. My own interest in the word isn’t just academic, as I’d like to make use of the fine quote of 1680, “Or wear some stinking Merkin for a Beard,” but I want to make damn sure I know what the original item was. –Andrew Scheinman, Los Angeles
They used to shave off all the pubic hair as a cure for syphilis, so the well-to-do used wigs.
A merkin is a crotch wig for both men and women and is usually worn on the outside. Have you ever seen a Scot in full regalia? That little fur “purse” in front is a merkin.
