Each of us at least once in my life heard funny, and sometimes even ridiculous words, the meaning of which was less funny or unexpected. One of these is pipidastra. Not to say that it was used daily by native speakers of the Russian language, because most of them do not even know the meaning of this word, to say nothing of belonging.
The true meaning of the word "pipidaster"
Until recently, it was believed that there was no such term at all and it was coined by fans of "funny" Internet memes. In Russian sources, this word is really not and right, because it came to us from the English language. Pipidastra is a fluffy multi-colored brush for brushing dust. Agree, we have repeatedly seen this device on TV, in stores and on the Internet, but did not know its name. This panicle is not to be called a pompom, because apart from the presence of villi, the pompom and pipidaster do not have anything in common.
Stress
Emphasis is placed on the third syllable - pipida'str, because the first two syllables symbolize a certain prefix "PP", and the second part is a completely independent word, which translates as a rag, anther.
Etymology
Until now, lovers of intricate stories can not say exactly where the word "pipidaster" comes from. According to one of the most common versions, it is a Russian duplicate of the name of the company of the first manufacturer PP Duster. Perhaps this is not even the name of the producing organization, it is likely that this is the usual abbreviation for any longer name. According to other guesses with the word duster, everything is less or less clear, this is the name of the company of the same name producing electric dust brushes, but with the first part of the name everything is much more complicated. Perhaps she went from the English "peppy", which translates as charged with energy, fast. The heroine of the children's fairy tale Peppy Long Stocking immediately comes to mind, but again all this is too doubtful, namely the use of a female name as a name for a brush. At least, the proof of this version is the more or less explainable translation, that is, the “quick brush”. Many foreigners confirm the presence of “peppy dastra” in their vocabulary, it is often used by cleaners or housewives, but still no one can say for sure about the origin of the word. According to third guesses, pipidastra is a puppy duster, and what about puppies here is still incomprehensible. Perhaps the brushes are as fluffy and restless as puppy. It is still unknown who invented the pipidaster, therefore, one can hardly judge the reason for such a strange name.
The only thing that can be said for sure, judging by all these versions, pipidastra is something fast, energetic and fluffy, a kind of electric broom. Based on this definition, such a piquant name is justified.
Erroneous opinion
Pipidastras are pompons worn by cheerleaders in their performances. It is not true! The Internet has accumulated a fair amount of jokes about the fact that the support group acts with nothing more than pipidastra. Strange, but this opinion has spread and it’s now difficult to knock out the heads of users who are hesitant to all jokes.
This error did not appear from scratch, as the pompons for the cheerleader performance are called Pom Pom (from this word, by the way, the word “pompom” came from), and the similarity with the panicle gave them the second name duster, if you combine the first and second designation, then it turns out PP Duster that the Russian people will read as "pipidaster."
The word pipidaster is funny enough for us, as many associations do not arise when it is pronounced. However, now you need to use it correctly. Pipidastra is a fluffy multi-colored brush for cleaning, and not some offensive curse.