Search: merkin
Why: On the "30 Rock" episode "The Bubble," Jenna goes on the Today Show to cut her hair:
MEREDITH VIERA: So this is for Locks of Love?A merkin, in case you don't know, is a pube wig. Or something.
JENNA: No, Locks of Love turned me down. They said my hair was too processed for a sick person to wear. But this is for a wonderful charity called Merkins of Hope.
Answer: They used to be!
The Oxford Companion to the Body dates the origin of the pubic wig to 1450. Women would shave their pubic hair and wear a merkin to combat pubic lice, and prostitutes would wear them to cover up signs of disease, such as syphilis.The word merkin stems from a corruption of the obsolete word malkin, meaning a lower-class woman or mop, which is derived from a diminutive of the personal name Mary (Mall, Moll and Malkin probably come from Mary).
Source: Wikipedia, Etym Online
The More You Know: I also just learned the word pudenda. Here are some goofy merkins (but not real ones, because they are NSFW slash gross. If you really want to see, click here.)
