Sherry

Sherry (pronounced sher-ee)

(1) A fortified, amber-colored wine, originally from the Jerez region of southern Spain or any of various similar wines made elsewhere; usually drunk as an apéritif.  Technically, a white wine.

(2) A female given name, a form of Charlotte.

1590-1600: A (mistaken singular) back formation from the earlier sherris (1530s), from the Spanish (vino de) Xeres ((wine from) Xeres).  Xeres is now modern-day Jerez (Roman (urbs) Caesaris) in Spain, near the port of Cadiz, where the wine was made.  The Official name is Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, one of Spain's wine regions, a Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP).  The word sherry is an anglicisation of Xérès (Jerez) and the drink was previously known as sack, from the Spanish saca (extraction) from the solera.  In EU law, sherry has protected designation of origin status, and under Spanish law, to be so labelled, the product must be produced in the Sherry Triangle, an area in the province of Cádiz between Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María.  In 1933 the Jerez denominación de origen was the first Spanish denominación officially thus recognized, named D.O. Jerez-Xeres-Sherry and sharing the same governing council as D.O. Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

The name "sherry" continues to be used by US producers where, to conform to domestic legislation, it must be labeled with a region of origin such as Oregon Sherry but can’t be sold in the EU because of their protected status laws.  Both Canadian and Australian winemakers now use the term Apera instead of Sherry, although customers seem still to favor the original.

The Sherry Party

For the upper-middle-class and beyond, sherry parties were a fixture of late-Victorian and Edwardian social life but the dislocations of the First World War seemed to render them extinct. It turned out however to be a postponement and sherry parties were revived, the height of their popularity being enjoyed during the 1930s until the Second World War succeeded where the first had failed.

For Sherry and Cocktail Parties, trade literature by Fortnum and Mason, Regent Street, Piccadilly, London, circa 1936.  The luxury department store, Fortnum & Mason, used the services of the Stuart Advertising Agency, which employed designers to produce witty and informative catalogues and the decorative art is illustrative of British commercial art in this period.

For the women who tended to be hostess and organizer, there were advantages compared with the tamer tea party.  Sherry glasses took less space than cups of tea, with all the associated paraphernalia of spoons, milk and sugar and, it being almost impossible to eat and drink while balancing a cup and saucer and conveying cake to the mouth, the tea party demanded tables and chairs.  The sherry glass and finger-food was easier for while one must sit for tea, one can stand for sherry so twice the number of guests could be asked.  Sherry parties indeed needed to be tightly packed affairs, the mix of social intimacy and alcohol encouraging mingling.  They also brought more men, tea holding little attraction for many.  The traditional timing between six and eight suited the male lifestyle of the time and they were doubtless more attracted to women drinking sherry than women drinking tea.

Novelist Laura, Lady Troubridge (1867–1946), who in 1935 published what became the standard English work on the topic, Etiquette and Entertaining: to help you on your social way, devoted an entire chapter to the sherry party.  She espoused an informal approach as both cheap and chic, suggesting guests be invited by telephone or with “Sherry, six to eight” written on a visiting card and popped in an envelope.   She recommended no more than two-dozen guests, half a dozen bottles of sherry, a couple of heavy cut-glass decanters and some plates of “dry and biscuity” eats: cheese straws, oat biscuits, cubes of cheddar.  This, she said, was enough to supply the makings of a “…jolly kind of party, with plenty of cigarettes and talk that will probably last until half past seven or eight.”

Hypocrite & Pharisee

Hypocrite (pronounced hip-uh-krit)

(1) A person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles etc., that they do not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

(2) A person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

1175–1225: from the Middle English ypocrite & ipocrite (false pretender to virtue or religion), from the Old French ypocrite (the Modern is French hypocrite), from the Ecclesiastical Latin hypocrita, from the Ancient Greek ὑποκριτής (hupokritḗs) (a stage actor, one who plays a part), from ὑποκρίνομαι (hupokrínomai) (I answer, act, feign, the construct being from hupo(krinein) (to feign (from krinein (to judge) + -tēs (the agent suffix).  Hypocrite is a noun (and long ago an adjective), hypocritical an adjective and hypocritically an adverb

Hypocrite came to English from the Ancient Greek hypokrites, which translates as “an actor”, the word a compound noun, the construct being two Greek words that literally translate as “an interpreter from underneath.”  That sense may sound strange but is actually literal, the actors in ancient Greek theater wearing large masks to indicate the part being played, thus they interpreted the story from underneath their masks.  This meaning endured from Antiquity, the Greek word later taking on an extended meaning to refer to someone said figuratively to be masked and thus pretending to be someone or something they were not.  This sense was taken-up in medieval French and subsequently English, where initially it used the earlier spelling ypocrite and in thirteenth century was used to refer to someone who pretends to be morally good or pious in order to deceive others.  Hypocrite gained its initial h- by the sixteenth century and it wasn’t until the early 1700s that it assumed in general use the now familiar modern meaning “a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings”, some five-hundred years after those striding English stages were so-described.

The adjective hypocritical (of, pertaining to, or proceeding from hypocrisy) dates from the 1540s (as implied in hypocritically) and prevailed over hypocritish (1520s) & hypocritic (1530s).  It was adjectivally innovative because from the thirteenth century, Middle English used the simple hypocrite as the adjective as well as the noun.  In Scottish, the late fifteenth century Lowrie (the characteristic name of the fox) was also used in the dual sense of "crafty person; hypocrite”

Hypocrite is so precise and well-understood that synonyms really aren’t required to convey any intent of meaning but for literary purposes there’s also bigot, charlatan, crook, impostor, phony, trickster, actor, backslider, bluffer, casuist, cheat, deceiver, decoy, dissembler, dissimulator, fake, four-flusher, fraud, humbug, informer, pretender & pharisee.  That such an impressively long list exists is a commentary on the human condition.  The noun dissembler is probably closest; a dissembler is “one who conceals his opinions, character etc, under a false appearance, one who pretends that a thing which is not".  Attested since the 1520s, it’s the agent noun from dissemble.

Pharisee (pronounced far-uh-see)

(1) A member of a Jewish sect that flourished between the second century BC and first century AD (during the Second Temple Era (536 BC-70 AD) which differed from the Sadducees principally in its strict observance of religious ceremonies and practices, adherence to oral laws and traditions (as interpreted rabbinically), belief in an afterlife and the coming of a Messiah (always with initial capital).  The movement was ultimately the basis for most contemporary forms of Judaism.

(2) Of or pertaining to the Pharisees.

(3) A sanctimonious, self-righteous, or hypocritical person (usually and correctly with initial lower-case).

(4) In figurative (and usually derogatory or offensive) use, a person who values the letter of the law over its spirit or intention; a person who values form over content.

Pre 900: From the Middle English Pharise & Farise, from the Old English Fariseos & Farīsēus, from the thirteenth century Old French pharise, from the Church Latin Pharisaeus (a variant of Pharīsaeus), from the Ancient Greek Φαρισαῖος (Pharisaîos), a transliteration of the Aramaic פְּרִישַׁיָּא‎ (pərîšayyâ’), emphatic plural of פְּרִישׁ‎ (pərîš) (separatist (literally “separated”)) and related to the Hebrew פרוש‎ (parush), qal passive participle of the verb פָּרַשׁ‎ (pāraš) (one who is separated for a life of purity), from parash (the Aramaic (Semitic) pərīshayyā was the plural of what is usually rendered as perīsh & pərīshā (literally “separated”)).  The extended meaning "any self-righteous person, formalist, hypocrite, scrupulous or ostentatious observer of the outward forms of religion without regard to its inward spirit" dates from the 1580s.  There’s no agreement between scholars about whether "Pharisee", derived words meaning “separated; set apart" refers to a physical separation from impure gentiles or a doctrinal separation from less religiously rigorous Jews and there’s even a suggestion they were regarded as "separatists" in the modern political sense.  The derived terms pharisaic, pharisaical, pharisaically, pharisaicalness, pharisaism & phariseeism (used according to context with and without an initial capital) are rarely used except in biblical scholarship or especially learned (and usually critical) legal texts.

The ancient Jewish sect which flourished between the second century BC and first century AD was distinguished the strict observance by its members of laws of behavior & ritual but were so extreme in their adherence that others came to regard them as pretentious and self-righteously sanctimonious and one of those others, recorded in the Gospel of Matthew was Jesus Christ himself:

Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

(23) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

(24) Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

(25) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

(27) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

(28) Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Matthew 23 (King James Version (KJV 1611))

The recently revealed text messages sent by Australia’s deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce (b 1967; thrice deputy prime-minister 2016-) included a character assessment of Prime Minister Scott Morrison (b 1968; Prime Minister of Australia 2018-) as “…a hypocrite and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time,” adding “I have never trusted him, and I dislike how earnestly [he] rearranges the truth to a lie.”  That was good but more amusing still was Mr Joyce’s “unreserved” apology to which he added the reservations that (1) it was a long time ago (10 months) and he was younger then, (2) he didn’t really know him at the time the message was sent (they’ve served together in cabinet for most of the last decade), (3) his opinion since he got to know him better has softened and he now thinks he’s a fine chap “of high integrity and honesty” and (4), he was in a bad mood when sending the message.

Given the ferocity of the critique, one might have thought Mr Morrison may have been consumed by hatred and vengeful thoughts but, perhaps feeling constrained by Luke 6:37…:

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. (King James Version (KJV 1611))

… issued a statement saying he’d forgiven Mr Joyce his trespasses, a gesture which either demonstrates some generosity of spirit or hints at his increasingly perilous political position.

Grace Tame looking at Scott Morrison, The Lodge, Canberra, annual pre-Invasion Day (aka Australia Day) festivities, 25 January 2021 and, arm in sling, after “a bike stack”.

Mr Joyce however may still nervously be looking over his shoulder.  A few days after Grace Tame (b 1994; activist for survivors of sexual assault & 2021 Australian of the Year), not best pleased with some aspects of Mr Morrison’s commitment to helping victims of sexual assault, spoiled one of his prized photo-opportunities by fixing him with a frosty stare rather than the expected asinine smile, she was involved in an accident, tumbling from her bike, breaking a collarbone and sustaining the odd graze.  There is no suggestion either Mr Morrison or the Liberal Party’s squad of dirty tricks operatives were involved in what Ms Tame described as a “bike stack” but Mr Joyce, noting no doubt that Mr Morrison said only “forgive” and not “forget”, may be impressed by the coincidence.

Bike stacks are not rare: In 2014 Lindsay Lohan posted on Instagram: “A citibike gone wrong #notsoquiche !!!!”, documenting bruises and scrapes on her legs after a “bike stack” (on her 28^th birthday) involving a New York City “Citi Bike” (a now privately owned public bicycle sharing system).  The photograph was taken in Soho, the following day.

Even if a coincidence Ms Tame’s bike stack was not an unusual event.  Although an admirable means of transportation (a bicycle is one of the most efficient means of getting from A to B in urban environments), there is a death and injury toll associated with the machines.  In 2021, 38 cyclists were killed in road-related incidents in Australia, a slight increase from the previous year in which there were 35 fatalities and the riders typically account for some 3% of all road deaths nationally.  Quite how many are injured each year isn’t known because many minor injuries are treated only with first-aid and those dealt with by GP (general practitioners or family doctors) don’t appear in aggregate statistics but data from hospital admissions record over 12,000 cyclists who were in 2021 treated for non-fatal injuries related to cycling accidents.  The most common injuries included fractures, head injuries and soft-tissue damage while a significant proportion of fatalities involved collisions with motor vehicles, especially on urban roads.

As Mr Joyce ponders coincidences, he might pause to reflect on the attitude of Jesus to hypocrisy, discussed in the Gospel of John.  The Pharisees, in an attempt to discredit Jesus, brought before him a woman they accused of adultery, reminding the crime was under Mosaic law punishable by stoning.

(3) And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

(4) They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

(5) Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

(6) This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

(7) So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

(9) And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

(10) When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

(11) She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

John 8 (King James Version (KJV 1611)

Given the enthusiasm Mr Joyce showed for defending the sanctity of the marriage vow during the debate about same-sex marriage before deserting his wife to co-habit with a former employee with whom he’d been conducting an adulterous affair, it may be time for him to read the bible rather than just thumping one.

Gladys Berejiklian looking at Scott Morrison.

What made the latest in Mr Joyce’s long line of gaffs funnier still was the release a few days earlier of text messages between former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian (b 1970; Premier of NSW 2017-2021) and an un-named member of Mr Morrison’s cabinet in which Ms Berejiklian branded the prime minister a “horrible, horrible person” who was "untrustworthy" and “more concerned with politics than people”.  The minister proved responsive to the then premier’s analysis, describing his leader as “a fraud”, “a complete psycho” and “desperate and jealous.”  Perhaps a victim of Sinodinos syndrome, when asked, Ms Berejiklian said she couldn't recall of the exchange.

Spirit of forgiveness: The prime-minister washes and conditions his deputy’s hair (digitally altered image).

As soon as this scurrilous texting was revealed, Mr Joyce affected outrage that anyone would do such a thing, condemning the anonymous minister and demanding they reveal their identity.  “I would suggest that if you know anything about this don’t wait to be outed”, Mr Joyce told the media.  He also had practical advice, adding “…and give an explanation.  Maybe it was a bad day in the office, I don’t know. That’s a better way to do it. It getting out is one good rump steak, with horseradish sauce, vegetables and chips, two bottles of red wine, and some journo is going to say ‘You know who told me that? Blah blah blah.’ And she’s out.”  That may yet prove sound advice.  Most revealing perhaps was (1) the admission by the journalist who provided the leak that the ministerial author had on two prior occasions over the last year refused to authorize a public release of the text, dropping the embargo only to permit a release on 1 February 2022 and (2) the journalist writes for the Murdoch press.  Politicians’ motives for doing things always attract interest (when being told of the Belgium ambassador’s death, Talleyrand mused “I wonder what his motive was?”) and there’s been much speculation, most of it pondering which minister would gain most to gain from the messages entering the public domain.

Former NSW premier Bob Carr (b 1947; Premier of NSW 1995-2005, foreign minister 2012-2013 (@bobjcarr)), anxious to help, tweeted:

The minister who shared the text with van Onselen and gave permission to use it was Peter Dutton. If PM Morrison has one more week in free fall the prospect of a leadership change pre-election is real.  Party rules don’t count if most MPs think you will lead them to defeat.

Mr Dutton (b 1970; member of cabinet since 2013) responded by tweeting “Bob Carr’s tweet is baseless, untrue and should be deleted” but Mr Carr declined, instead adding “Only one way Peter Dutton can win his case: get another colleague to admit that they were the source for comments about the Prime Minister.  If not you, Mr Dutton, which of your colleagues? Until then who has most to gain from undermining further a flailing PM?”

In happier times: Liberal-National Party billboard for the 2016 election campaign.

Given Ms Berejiklian and Mr Dutton sat in different parliaments, hailed from different states and belonged to different factions, it does seem strange he might be the suspect texter but few things in politics unite like a mutual loathing.  Mr Carr offered no evidence for his claim and seemed unconcerned the notably litigious Mr Dutton might issue a writ.  The former foreign minister said that, like a journalist, he wouldn’t be revealing his sources but did indicate the tip came from a normally reliable source and was not supposition based on Mr Dutton having “a bit of previous”.  Mr Dutton's texting history included sending one calling a journalist a "mad fucking witch".  Unfortunately he sent the text to the target of his remarks but fortunately she worked for the Murdoch press and thus had to cop it sweet which the witch did with some aplomb, even complimenting Mr Dutton for having been a minister who had made a great contribution to government.  The conspiracy theory which underpins Mr Carr's tweet is the notion that in 2018 Mr Morrison tricked Mr Dutton into triggering the defenestration of Malcolm Turnbull (b 1954; prime-minister of Australia 2015-2018) and then double-crossed him, securing the numbers and The Lodge for himself.  Not quite Fortinbras in Hamlet but an anyway successful venture.  Interestingly, despite many opportunities, Mr Dutton has never denied being a Freemason.

Peter Dutton looking at Scott Morrison.

Amidst the Sturm und Drang which has raged since the text messages emerged, what’s not been discussed is the desirability of characteristics such as hypocrisy, having more interest in politics than people and being an actual psychopath in a prime-minister.  Being a hypocrite in its original meaning in Ancient Greek (an actor; one playing a part) is so obvious a helpful attribute for a political leader that Ronald Reagan (1911-2004 US President 1981-1989) was probably genuinely surprised at the journalistic naiveté when, during the 1980 presidential election campaign, he was asked if was possible for an actor to be good president.  His rely was “How is it possible for a good president not to be an actor?” and his point was well made and Harold Macmillan (1894-1986, UK prime-minister 1957-1963) was habitually referred to as an “actor-manager”.  Being, in its modern sense, a hypocrite, liar and psychopath might sound less promising qualifications for political leadership and for idealists something truly appalling and it may be these qualities are more valuable in attaining office than exercising successfully its power although there’s always the extraordinary example of Comrade Stalin (1878-1853; leader of the USSR 1924-1953) to illustrate just what a serious psychopath can achieve.

Another fun aspect of these text messages is that the conflict is internecine.  Politicians being mean to those on the other side is so common it barely rates as news unless there’s some particularly egregious accusation, preferably involving a goat or some other abomination but when it’s within the same party, it’s especially amusing because that’s where the real hatreds lie.  That’s why Gordon Brown (b 1951; UK prime-minister 2007-2010) being was labeled “a psychopath” by Tony Blair (b 1953; UK prime-minister 1997-2007) was funny; had he said it of the leader of the opposition it’s doubtful anyone would have noticed.  Mr Joyce’s contribution to the genre was really quite good as was that of Mr Dutton (or whomever the culprit may be) but that of Ms Berejiklian lacked punch; she needs to sharpen the hatchet.

Latex

Latex (pronounced ley-teks)

(1) A sometimes colorless, sometimes milky liquid containing protein, starch, alkaloids etc in certain plants, which exists in plants such as milkweeds, euphorbias, poppies, or the plants yielding India rubber, that coagulates on exposure to air.

(2) In chemistry, a suspension of synthetic rubber or plastic in water, used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber products.

(3) In industrial chemistry, a manufactured emulsion of synthetic rubber or plastic droplets in water that resembles the latex of plants. It is used in paints, adhesives, and synthetic rubber products.

(4) A general term, used as noun or adjective for latex products.

(5) In ancient medicine, clear liquid believed to be a component of a humor or other bodily fluid, especially plasma and lymphatic fluid (obsolete).

(6) In computing, as LaTeX, a digital typesetting system for mathematical and scientific formulae layout, based on the code of TeX.

1655–1665: From the Medieval Latin latex (genitive laticis) (clear fluid which is part of a humour or bodily fluid), a variation of the Classical Latin latex (water; liquid, fluid) which may be from the Ancient Greek λᾰ́τᾰξ (látax) (dregs or a drop of wine), from the primitive Indo-European root lat (wet; moist) but etymologists note the semantic shift from "drop of wine" to "water" is undocumented and may indicate origins from separate languages.  It’s also speculative that the Old & Middle Irish laith (liquid; beer), the Old High German letto (clay, loam), the Welsh llaid (mud, mire) & llad (beer), the Proto-Celtic lati-, Proto-Germanic ladjō-, the Old Norse leðja (mud, dregs), the Lithuanian latakas (pool, puddle) and the Old Norse leþja (filth) are related.

From 1835 the word was used in the sense of "the milky liquid from plants", the meaning "water-dispersed polymer particles" as used in rubber goods, paints and other industrial products) dating from from 1937.  Latex was first noted as an adjective in 1954 as a popular (and more convenient) substitute for the classically correct laticiferous.  Thoughtfully, the developer of LaTeX (the TeX-based digital typesetting system) provided a pronunciation guide, the final consonant of TeX pronounced similar to loch or Bach.  The letters of the name represent the capital Greek letters Τ (tau), Ε (epsilon), and Χ (chi), as TeX is an abbreviation of Ancient Greek τέχνη (tékhnē) (the root word of "technical").  Inevitably however, English speaking nerds who haven't read the guide often pronounce it tek.  The noun latexosis is used to refer to an abnormal flow of latex from a plant.  Latex is a noun & adjective; the noun plural is latexes.

Notes on Latex

Latex is a natural material that requires special care not necessary for fabrics. It is sensitive to external factors that cause tearing, discoloration or weakening.

What to avoid

Oil: Oils will degrade latex so avoid any contact with oil-based fluids or solvents, hand creams, grease, leather etc. Always handle latex with clean hands.

Metal: Latex will react with copper, brass and bronze, resulting in stains; even handling these metals before touching light colored latex may result in discoloration.

Sunlight, heat and humidity: Exposure to sunlight or other UV light sources will cause white patches where the color has been bleached, dark colors being especially prone to this.  Exposure to heat and humidity may result in discoloration or degradation.  Latex is flammable and should not be exposed to raised temperatures; this includes radiators, heat sources and tumble dryers.

Rita Ora in Latex, London, January 2023.

Sharp objects:  Any sharp object can puncture or tear latex so observe particular caution with long fingernails; those required frequently to handle latex are recommended to wear cotton or latex gloves.

Flame:  Latex is flammable; it must not be exposed to flame.

Ozone: Ozone is produced from oxygen by UV-radiation from the big industrial fluorescent lamps.  Prolonged storage without a protecting bag will lead to damage not unlike sunlight, the consequences being discoloration and brittleness.

Polishing

Latex can be rendered in a matte or polished finish.  To achieve a shine, coat surface in a silicone lubricant or other latex polish; this may be sprayed or spread, either with bare hands or a soft, lint-free cloth (Don't rub too hard; this can damage latex.  With transparent latex, applying the liquid to both sides will enhance the transparency.

Lindsay Lohan in Latex, 2020.

Cleaning

Latex should regularly be cleaned by rinsing well in warm water.  Some manufacturers recommend using a mild soap, while others suggest only water, the general principle being to follow their recommendations.  To dry, hang on a plastic or wooden hanger or lay flat; latex can be wiped gently with a soft towel to decrease drying time if desired.  When one side is dry, turn inside out and let the other side dry.  When completely dry, separate any latex that has stuck together and lightly dust with talc powder to prevent any further sticking (manufacturers caution against using liquids for this purpose).

Storage

Prepare latex for storage by washing, drying and lightly powdering as described in the cleaning routine.  Ideally, latex should be kept in a black plastic bag in a cool, dry place.  Light and dark pieces of latex should not be stored in direct contact as this can cause discoloration of the lighter.

Demask Latex Shop, Zeedijk 64, 1012 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Shtreimel

Shtreimel (pronounced stremm-ill)

A fur hat worn by many married Haredi Jewish men on the Sabbath, during Jewish holidays, weddings and other festive occasions.

Late 1500s: From the Yiddish שטרײַמל‎ (shtrayml) of unknown origin.  The plural form is either שטרײַמלעך (shtraymlekh) or שטרײַמלען (shtraymlen) and when rendered in English it should probably be shtreimlech but shtreimels is regularly seen and is now probably more prevalent in commerce.  Shtreimel is a noun; the noun plural is shtreimels.

A quartet of Jewish men in shtreimels.

In the sixteenth century, Eastern Europeans fought the Mongol hordes invading from the east, eventually driving them out.  The Mongols had worn a fur headgear akin to shtreimlach and, after the victory, the Europeans, never fond of the Jews whom they regarded as outsiders as foreign as the invaders, compelled them to wear similar hats to degrade and set them apart.  From this improbable origin came first the acceptance and later the actual code of dress adopted by European Jewry and Chassidim (also known as Hasidism or Hasidic Judaism, a strictly orthodox Jewish sect which opposed Hellenizing influences on their faith).  By the nineteenth century it had spread around the world.

A shtreimel is worn usually on Shabbat, Jewish holidays and other festive occasions and although typically restricted to married men, in some communities, it’s worn from the age of bar mitzvah.  Although it’s long been a custom for Jewish males to cover their heads, under Jewish law there is no special significance to the shtreimel compared to other head coverings but adopting two is thought to add spiritual merit, a shtreimel worn always over a kippah (or yarmulke, the Jewish skullcap).  Sometimes more controversial is the materialist aspect, the intricate craftsmanship of the more expensive shtreimlech does, for some, add to their appeal and they can be displayed as a status-symbol, a conspicuous consumption not approved by all .  The best shtreimlech are bespoke creations for the wearer, made from the tips of the tails of Canadian or Russian sable, stone marten, pine marten or American gray fox and, by tradition, a bride's father purchases a shtreimel for the groom upon his wedding.  These range in price from US$1,000-$6,000 although reproductions in synthetic fur can be bought for a fraction of this, the choice dependent on family circumstances rather than religious tradition.  Never part of everyday apparel, a shtreimel is worn only in conjunction with the clothes worn on the Shabbos (the Jewish Sabbath).  While there are no official rules as to when a shtreimel is worn, it’s usually restricted to religious holidays, weddings and at a brit milah (the Jewish religious male circumcision ceremony).

Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK; North Korea): female soldiers.  Although the resemblance is striking, it's not believed the hats worn as part of the uniforms by female members of the Democratic People's Republic or Korea (DPRK; North Korea were modelled after the shtreimel and it's mere sartorial coincidence.  

Like his father (Kim Jong-il (1941–2011; The DPRK's Dear Leader, 1994-2011) and grandfather, (Kim Il-sung (1912-1994; The DPRK's Great Leader, 1948-1994), Kim Jong-un (b 1983; The DPRK's Supreme Leader (originally The Great Successor) since 2011) likes women in heels.  Because the whole DPRK military seems to be run by someone in the vein of General Scheisskopf (in German, literally "shit-head", the character in Joseph Heller's (1923-1999) Catch-22 (1961) who was obsessed with marching), the heels really are functional and better than combat boots.

The real fur shtreimels attracted the interest of the animal rights pressure group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which in 2013 supported Rabbi Shlomo Pappenheim (b 1926), leader of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect, when he delivered a speech at an animal rights conference in Israel, calling on Hasidic Jews to stop wearing real fur shtreimel hats.  According to the rabbi, each shtreimel, which demands the slaughter of up to thirty sables, minks, martens, or foxes, violates the Jewish law of tza’ar ba’alei chayim, which prohibits causing animals unnecessary pain adding that as a matter of Jewish law, flaunting real fur hats amounts to Chilul Hashem (desecration of God’s name) because the cruelty of the fur industry is so notorious.  He concluded his address by saying Jewish culture must evolve to the point where it becomes a matter of shame to wear “anything but a synthetic shtreimel.”

PETA honorary director Pamela Anderson (b 1967) in poster for PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign.  Ms Anderson’s involvement is said to have extended to making a personal appeal to then prime-minister Benjamin Netanyahu (b 1949; Israeli prime minister 1996-1999, 2009-2021 and since 2022).

Whether it was Rabbi Pappenheim’s thoughts or Ms Anderson’s persuasion which was most influential isn’t known but the campaign seemed to have some effect, Israel in 2021 becoming the first country to ban fur.  However, as cynics noted, it was a typical piece of cleverness by the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) in that the ban doesn’t apply to those most likely to wear the furry hats, the legislation still permitting the import of sable shtreimels, worn by many Haredi men, the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Law (1976) allowing permits for importation to be issued if the pelts are to be used for “religion, religious tradition, scientific research, education or teaching.”  As in many aspects of secular laws passed by the Knesset, this loophole effectively exempts ultra-Orthodox Jews from its operation although importers will now need to apply for special permits, something thought “not an obstacle.”  The law may thus have little practical effect; given its climate, garments using fur are rarely seen in Israel except as shtreimels.

Harold Macmillan (1894–1986; UK prime-minister 1957-1963) and comrade Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971; Soviet leader 1953-1964), on the tarmac at Moscow airport, February 1959 (left) and Lindsay Lohan in Netflix's Falling for Christmas (2023).  In many religions, it's not uncommon for what were once purely functional or pragmatic garments or practices to become symbols of religious observance and it seems likely the origin of the shtreimel was in headgear designed to provide warmth.

Macmillan’s visit, the first to Russia by a British PM since Winston Churchill's (1875-1965; UK prime-minister 1940-1945 & 1951-1955) wartime trips, started with him making what he hoped would be a friendly gesture, wearing a Russian white fur hat (ushanka) but this was soon swapped for a black one because a foreign office advisor suggested the white, dating from his last visit to Russia during the Russo-Finnish War (the so-called "Winter War", 1939-1940) might cause offence, the conflict not a happy memory in the Kremlin.  The foreign office was correct but (and this does happen with the FO) for the wrong reason, the white fur purely a fashion faux pas.  When Macmillan's predecessor (Anthony Eden, 1897–1977; UK prime-minister 1955-1957), visited Moscow in 1941 while foreign secretary, comrade Vyacheslav Molotov (1890–1986; USSR foreign minister 1939-1949 & 1953-1956), showing an untypical concern for the details of protocol, told Eden "Á Moscou, Excellence, on ne porte pas la casquette de fourrure blanche" (In Moscow, Your Excellency, you don't wear a white fur hat).   

Twenty-odd years on however, the Russians seemed either not to notice or be unconcerned, the white fur attracting no comment on arrival and the prime-minister’s sartorial flourishes continued, choosing practical plus fours for his tour of collective farm, and, in a nice touch, a Guards Regiment tie when visiting a nuclear facility.  Lavish banquets followed around tables laden with champagne, vodka, caviar, salmon and Cuban cigars and all went well although, regarding the vodka, perhaps a little too well, as Macmillan would later note.

While the prime-minister was touring a Moscow research institute, comrade Khrushchev was in Berlin where he delivered a truculent speech intending use Macmillan’s visit to destabilize NATO.  The next day’s Anglo-Soviet discussions were “angry and fraught”, an atmosphere not helped by both delegations being “rather drunk”.  To express his displeasure with a snub, Khrushchev the next day issued a statement saying he was taking no part in that day’s activities because he had “toothache” and the Western press promptly, and gleefully, coined the phrase “diplomatic toothache”.  Just to add emphasis, despite being indisposed by his “toothache”, the Kremlin made it known comrade Khrushchev had spent the day in meetings with a visiting delegation from Iraq.  Macmillan rescued the situation with some typically cynical British diplomacy and comrade Khrushchev quickly resumed his role of genial host, telling everyone his toothache had been cured “…by a British drill”.  Although achievements had been modest, both sides considered the visit a success, something in this field measured less by anything attained than unpleasantness avoided.

The ushanka never goes out of style: Adolf Hitler (1889-1945; Führer (leader) and German head of government 1933-1945 & head of state 1934-1945) admiring the headgear of Crown Prince Wilhelm (1882-1951), Tag von Potsdam (Potsdam Day), 21 March 1933.  Potsdam day was a ceremony conducted on March 21, 1933 in Potsdam to mark the re-convening of the Reichstag, the fire which gutted the building on 27 February 1933 never fully explained although conspiracy theories suggesting the act of arson was a Nazi plot have little support among mainstream historians, the consensus being the regime simply took advantage of the unexpected event to conduct the first of many purges of their opponents.