# How many people here can pronounce Chamois, the material and common purpose? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 20, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889 "2023-12-20T15:42:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/1 "2023-12-20T15:42:48Z")
I LMAO just now. The Van Morrison classic Google Saint Dominic’s Preview lyrics The default lyrics say Shammy [unverified] cleaning all the windows _Chamois cleaning all the windows_ Is a very imaginative lyric and typical of Van Morrison lyrical writing. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/2 "2023-12-20T15:44:33Z")
ShamWow. mmm ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/3 "2023-12-20T15:47:32Z")
Bonus points for the traditional material 😉 Sheep skin Common Purpose? Drying water from Washed Cars I have 4 in my garage I think professional window washers used them to avoid streaking ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/4 "2023-12-20T15:56:48Z")
I admit that I don’t fully understand the lyrics of _Saint Dominic’s Preview_. Even the title is thought provoking. Van Morrison is a poet. I think it’s intended to evoke the imagination and create imagery. It’s not a narrative. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/5 "2023-12-20T15:57:30Z")
I don’t know offhand how common it is now but it used to be _the_ material for the inner liner of cycling shorts. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/6 "2023-12-20T15:59:46Z")
Pamper what’s very important to a man. I’d do it. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/7 "2023-12-20T16:04:01Z")
This “chamois” is not a word I’m familiar with. It’s looks French, so I’d pronounce it like “sham-wah”. > **** > > Looking it up, it’s a very interesting word, meaning a specific type of goat, or the leather from that goat, or the color of the leather of that goat, or a washcloth made from the leather of that goat, or some padding made from the leather of that goat. And not necessarily actually made from that goat skin, but some other similar material. There’s no English cognate to “chamois”, but German has “Gämse”. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/8 "2023-12-20T16:17:56Z")
Now, I got curious. I think we can thank the Normans and their rule of the English Isles. Just my early morning IHMO 1560 may be a stretch for that contribution. The Normans had a very long cultural reach. > **[chamois, v. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/chamois_v?tl=true)** > > chamois, v. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/9 "2023-12-20T17:13:42Z")
It’s used as a blending tool when drawing, especially with charcoal. I sold art supplies for years and it was a common item on beginner drawing class materials lists. I got used to explaining how to say it and what it was made of. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/10 "2023-12-20T17:18:44Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I got used to explaining how to say it Don’t leaving us hanging. How do you say “chamois”? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/11 "2023-12-20T17:24:13Z")
Always pronounced SHAM-ee ever since I was a wee young 'un. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/12 "2023-12-20T17:24:17Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > > [@garygnu](#): > > > > I got used to explaining how to say it > > Don’t leaving us hanging. How do you say “chamois”? - Shammy. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/13 "2023-12-20T17:26:35Z")
It’s just like the famous killer whale, but said with four m’s, a silent q, and a French accent. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/14 "2023-12-20T17:29:57Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Always pronounced SHAM-ee ever since I was a wee young 'un. I’m announcing the Winner of this thread. 😊 My dad taught me to wash my first car. You want a genuine sheep skin Chamois. Wring it out as dry as possible. It will leave a streak free shine on a car finish. They last a long time. I have two that were bought in the 1990’s. I was livid when a friend ruined one on a dirty wet car. Those dirt stains won’t wash out. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/15 "2023-12-20T17:30:30Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > It’s just like the famous killer whale, but said with four m’s, a silent q, and a French accent.   Ah, of course: “môbium diqkùm”. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/16 "2023-12-20T17:34:10Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Always pronounced SHAM-ee ever since I was a wee young 'un. Same, in fact I didn’t know about the fancy French spelling for a long while. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/17 "2023-12-20T17:56:14Z")
It’s also a fabric; makes very nice cold weather shirts and pants (USA terminology). And yes, I knew how to pronounce it, as well as the other common usage for a type of cleaning cloth. But I confess that I didn’t realize they used to be sheepskin. Makes sense, though. – Ah! Apparently _originally_ originally not sheepskin, but skin of the antelope named chamois. Makes even more sense, now. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/18 "2023-12-20T18:11:16Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > It’s used as a blending tool when drawing, especially with charcoal. That’s quite interesting. I wasn’t aware of that product. I can see how a sheep skin would be useful blending & shading charcoal. SDMB is a great source of information. The people here are generous contributors of knowledge and on occasions we like to shoot the 💩 too. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/19 "2023-12-20T18:22:40Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > You want a genuine sheep skin Chamois. Wring it out as dry as possible. It will leave a streak free shine on a car finish. A few years ago (90s?) Armor-All sold a synthetic chamois and I bought one. It’s the best drying towel ever invented and I’m pretty sure that after 20 years of use, it can’t be destroyed. As far as I can tell, they quit making them, probably because they’re indestructible. Prying. . .cold dead fingers. . .etc. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889/20 "2023-12-20T18:28:59Z")
I’ve always felt comfortable knowing that in a emergency financial bind I could scrap up money by detailing cars in driveways. My dad taught me how to properly take care of my car’s finish. Thankfully I’ve never quite reached that level of desperation. My shoulders couldn’t take the daily abuse now. I wash and detail my SO’s car and wait a week to do mine. Gotten lazy and do it monthly. I never learned to use a buffer and polishing compound. I leave that to the pros that know how. A careless person can burn through and ruin the paint in 90 seconds. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-here-can-pronounce-chamois-the-material-and-common-purpose/994889.md?page=2)