# What's the proper name of that furry, Russian-style hat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 17, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487 "2005-11-17T15:05:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/1 "2005-11-17T15:05:14Z")
Soviets are often portrayed in a furry, almost-cylindrical hat. My friend and I call it the “furry Russian hat,” but putting a name on it would be nice. Can anyone help? ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/2 "2005-11-17T15:07:41Z")
It’s not the proper name, but from Douglas Adams’ **Meaning of Liff** : **GLINSK** (n.) A hat which politicans buy to go to Russia in. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/3 "2005-11-17T15:07:46Z")
One style is an [_ushanka_](http://search-desc.ebay.com/ushanka-hat_W0QQfkrZ1QQfnuZ1QQftsZ2QQxpufuZxQ5A1). Is that the style you had in mind? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/4 "2005-11-17T15:07:49Z")
A _shapka_. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/5 "2005-11-17T16:08:21Z")
_Ushanka_ literally means a hat with ear flaps. A _shapka_ is the puffy fur hat commonly associated with Russia. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/6 "2005-11-17T16:08:32Z")
In the movie “Gorky Park”, they were called sable hats, since that is the fur used to make them. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/7 "2005-11-17T16:29:55Z")
I call it _The Costanza._ ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/8 "2005-11-17T16:36:44Z")
Many _shapkas,_ when brought back to the US, are used to hide the spare roll of toilet paper. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/9 "2005-11-17T16:45:35Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I call it _The Costanza._ Ha! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/10 "2005-11-17T17:13:36Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > _Ushanka_ literally means a hat with ear flaps. A _shapka_ is the puffy fur hat commonly associated with Russia. Well, I have a rabbit fur shapka with ushankas. Of course, now that I live in Texas I don’t really get the chance to wear it, but when I lived in Minneapolis, I loved it. I’ve also got a neat Red Army thing that looks cool on the front of it. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/11 "2005-11-17T17:43:29Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > A _shapka_. A shapka is literally any type of winter hat, including wool beanies. At least in Moscow. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/12 "2005-11-17T17:48:39Z")
Err, I suppose I should actually be useful. An “ushanka” is a fur/faux fur hat with ear flaps that can be tied up on the sides of the hat or tied down to cover the ears. An “ushanka” is a type of “mehovaya shlyapa” or “mehovaya shapka” which means “fur hat”. Typically “mehovaya shapka” since “shlyapa”, I believe, was originally referred to gentlemen’s tophats and became generic word for “hat” due to recent misuse. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/13 "2005-11-17T19:33:33Z")
And is “shapka” related to or derived from the French word “chapeau”? ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/14 "2005-11-17T19:51:56Z")
> [@Sal Ammoniac](#): > > And is “shapka” related to or derived from the French word “chapeau”? According to Vasmer’s Etymological Dictionary the first mention of the word is in 1327, which is pretty old. The suggested etymology is from “sсhарёl” from some form of old german (the abbreviation escapes me), “chapel” from old french or “cappa” from latin. Possible routes are direct or through polish. So, while precise etymology is unknown, it’s definitely related to the romance word. ---
**Author:** ![Timchik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@Timchik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timchik)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-of-that-furry-russian-style-hat/331487/15 "2005-11-17T20:05:29Z")
> [@Sal Ammoniac](#): > > And is “shapka” related to or derived from the French word “chapeau”? Well according to [this site](http://char-sh.ushakov.astcom.ru/show.85800.html) it derives from French _chape_, meaning roof. The -ka suffix is a diminutive, so you’re literally wearing a “rooflet”. On preview, I see **groman** has a cite that gives a different etymology, which sounds more authoritative. In any case, the _shapka-ushanka_ is declining in popularity these days. You won’t see all that many males older than 8 or younger than 60 (other than soldiers, policemen, and _bomzhi_ [bums/homeless]) wearing one in Moscow these days.