Pom-pon
Encyclopedia
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
, plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
, and occasionally feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s.
While perhaps not the most common use of the pom-pon, its most noticeable and widely recognized use is by cheerleaders
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
and sports fans during spectator sport
Spectator sport
A spectator sport is a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches. For instance, Tennis, Rugby, F-1, baseball, basketball, cricket, football , and ice hockey are spectator sports, while hunting or underwater hockey typically are not...
s.
Two related words, toorie and bobble
Bobble hat
A Bobble hat or Bobble cap is a colloquial term for a knit beanie or tuque trimmed with a yarn "bobble" or pom-pom upon the crown. Bobble hats are generally considered utilitarian cold weather wear...
, are most often used when referring to clothing.
Pom-pon is derived from the French word pompon, which refers to a small decorative ball made of fabric or feathers
Spelling
Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1961) gives the spelling as "pompon."The New Oxford American Dictionary
New Oxford American Dictionary
The New Oxford American Dictionary is a single-volume dictionary of American English compiled by American editors at the Oxford University Press....
(3rd edition, 2010) gives the spelling as "pom-pom."
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th edition, 2011) gives the spelling as "pompom."
Among cheerleaders
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, the spelling "pom-pon" is most often used. Most commercial providers of cheerleading equipment also use the "pom-pon" spelling.
Sports
- to attract the attention of the spectators
- to add "sparkle" to a cheer, chant, or dance routine
- to accentuate movements
- to distract the opposing team
Most often, pom-pons are used in pairs (one in each hand), but this may vary with the particular requirements of the choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
of a dance or cheer.
Cheerleading pom-pons come in a variety of shapes, styles, colors, color combinations, and sizes. Shiny metallic pom-pons have become very popular in recent years.
Many schools and universities have dance teams in addition to their cheerleading groups. The dance teams may also use pom-pons occasionally.
Clothing
Large handheld pom-pons are used by cheerleaders and sports fans. Smaller ones may adorn hatHat
A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...
s (such as Tam o' Shanters and some styles of the tuque
Tuque
A – variously known as a knit hat or stocking cap among other names – is a knitted cap, originally of wool though now often of synthetic fibers, that is designed to provide warmth in winter...
), sock
Sock
A sock is an item of clothing worn on the feet. The foot is among the heaviest producers of sweat in the body, as it is able to produce over of perspiration per day. Socks help to absorb this sweat and draw it to areas where air can evaporate the perspiration. In cold environments, socks decrease...
s, fringed dress
Dress
A dress is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment.Dress may also refer to:*Clothing in general*Costume, fancy dress...
es, or other kinds of clothing.
Pom-pons form a conspicuous part of the uniform of French naval personnel, being sewn onto the crown of their round cap
Cap
A cap is a form of headgear. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head and have no brim or only a visor. They are typically designed for warmth and, when including a visor, blocking sunlight from the eyes...
. Belgian sailors wear a light blue version.
Traditional Italian wedding shoes have small pom-pons, as do some Turkish dancing shoes.
Roman Catholic clergymen
Roman Catholic clergymen wear the birettaBiretta
The biretta is a square cap with three or four peaks or horns, sometimes surmounted by a tuft. Traditionally the three peaked biretta is worn by Roman Catholic clergy and some Anglican and Lutheran clergy. The four peaked biretta is worn as academic dress by those holding a doctoral degree from a...
. The colour of its pom-pon denotes the wearer's rank. Priests wear a black biretta with a black pom. Protonotaries and Domestic Prelates (now Prelates of Honour) have a scarlet pom on their black birettas, and Papal Chamberlains (now Chaplains to His Holiness) wear a Roman purple pom on their black birettas.
Bishops and Archbishops wear a Roman purple biretta with matching pom. The scarlet birettas of the Cardinals have no pom, only a red loop. There is no Papal biretta.
Some religious orders and congregations have unique birettas, such as the Norbertines who wear a white biretta with a white pom. Some St. Francis fathers wear a brown biretta with a black pom. Other orders may wear a black biretta with a white, green, or blue pom, or the black biretta of the secular priesthood.
Toorie
In reference to ScottishScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Highland dress and Scottish military uniforms, the small pom-pon on the crown of such hats as the Balmoral
Balmoral bonnet
The Balmoral is a traditional Scottish hat that can be worn as part of formal or informal Highland dress. Dating back to at least the 16th century, it takes the form of a knitted, soft wool cap with a flat crown...
, the Glengarry
Glengarry
The glengarry bonnet is a traditional boat-shaped hat without a peak made of thick-milled woollen material with a toorie on top, a rosette cockade on the left, and ribbons hanging down behind...
, and the Tam o' Shanter is called a "toorie."
The toorie is generally made of yarn and is traditionally red on both Balmorals and Glengarries (although specific units have used other colours). It has evolved into the smaller pom-pon found on older-style golf caps
Flat cap
A flat cap is a rounded men or women's cap with a small stiff brim in front. Cloths used to make the cap include original wool, tweed , and cotton. Less common materials may include leather. Cord flat caps are also worn in various colours. The inside of the cap is usually lined with silk for...
and the button atop baseball cap
Baseball cap
A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a rounded stiff brim. The front of the cap typically contains designs or logos of sports teams ,...
s.
Flogger
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the term "flogger" is used rather than "pom-pon." Floggers are very large, heavy pom-pons in the team's colours. They sometimes require more than one person to lift them, and they are waved about when a goal is scored.
Floggers are an important part of Australian rules football culture
Australian rules football culture
Australian rules football culture is a descriptive term for the cultural aspects surrounding the game of Australian rules football, particular as it applies to Australia and areas where it is most popular...
and cheersquads.
Toys and bicycles
Pom-pons are sometimes used as children's toys. They are a common feature at the ends of the handlebars of children's tricycleTricycle
A tricycle is a three-wheeled vehicle. While tricycles are often associated with the small three-wheeled vehicles used by pre-school-age children, they are also used by adults for a variety of purposes. In the United States and Canada, adult-sized tricycles are used primarily by older persons for...
s and bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s, especially girls' bicycles.