Would You Put It On Your Head? Quiz

Answer:

Although you might be able to get one foot, or even both of your feet into them, an akubra, a balaclava, a beret, a boater, a crown, a deerstalker, a fascinator, a helmet, a mortarboard, a stetson, a turban, and a wig, were all designed to be worn on the head.

Akubra is used to refer to an Australian hat with a wide brim suitable for keeping the sun off the wearer in the Outback. Contrary to popular belief, they do not usually have corks attached to strings hanging from the brim - any like that are probable being sold to gullible tourists. The name is taken from the company which is famous for making the hats, although they also manufacture other styles of hat.

A balaclava is a knitted woollen helmet which covers the whole head and neck, leaving a hole for the eyes and, sometimes, the mouth and nose. The name is taken from the town of Balaklava in the Crimean peninsula after British troops wore them to keep warm during the battle there in 1854. Other knitted hats include a beanie, which just covers the head and ears, and a bobble hat, which is similar to a beanie, but has a woollen pompom attached to the top.

A beret is a soft round cap, often made of felt. They became very popular in the Basque region of Europe around the Pyrenees in the nineteenth century. They are often seen as part of military uniforms, when they usually have a badge attached. British schoolgirls wore them, too, for a large part of the twentieth century. They have also had phases of being a desirable fashion accessory.

A boater is a stiff straw hat with a flat crown and brim; they usually have a coloured ribbon attached to the side of the crown. They were based on the traditional hat worn by Venetian gondoliers, hence the name. Straw hats are commonly worn to shield the wearer from the sun. Another common style is the Panama hat, which originated in Ecuador, but was exported to Europe through Panama.

A crown is a traditional symbol of royalty. It is usually made from gold, or another precious metal and adorned with jewels, and may well be lined with fur. The installation of a new monarch is often referred to as a coronation, which specifically applies to the placing of the crown upon their head. Similar to a crown is a tiara, which is usually crescent shaped rather than circular, and can be worn by women for formal occasions.

A deerstalker is a style of hat that was traditionally worn by upper-class British gentlemen when hunting. It is a cloth hat with stiffened peaks at the front and back, with flaps which are usually tied up on top, but can be untied to cover the ears, too. One of the most famous, although fictional, people to wear a deerstalker is Sherlock Holmes; his creator, Arthur Conan-Doyle, never referred to one, but the illustrator, Sidney Paget, portrayed the detective in a deerstalker.

Fascinators have become popular for some ladies since the end of the twentieth century. They are decorative pieces made from feathers, ribbons, artificial flowers, or anything else the designer thinks of. The whole construction is attached to a band or clip which can be used by the wearer to fasten it to their head. They are an alternative to a hat for a wedding or other formal event.

A helmet is a protective form of headgear. In many countries, motorcyclists are required to wear a crash helmet as a safety device. It is common, now, to see cyclists wearing a lighter helmet to protect their head in the event of an accident. A British policeman traditionally wore a helmet when patrolling the streets of his 'patch'. Helmets have been worn by soldiers in battles since medieval times. Helmets are worn for protection by some sports players, such as jockeys, American football players, and batters in cricket. Helmets are also worn by people who work in some hazardous situations, such as the construction or mining industries.

A mortarboard is an academic cap. It consists of a stiff square, with a tassel in the centre, attached to a skull cap so that it will stay on the wearer's head; they are usually black. Undergraduates at the University of Oxford are require to have them as part of the full academic dress which is worn for matriculation and exams as well as when being awarded a degree. I don't think a black cardboard square attached to a black motorcycle helmet is quite what the proctors had in mind, but, when I took my exams fifty years ago, that is what one of the other candidates had; he also wore a denim jacket and jeans, a white T-shirt and a cardboard bow tie instead of the more usual dark suit, white shirt and bow tie required by the male undergraduates.

A stetson is the name usually given to a cowboy hat. It takes its name for the manufacturer, who made his name by providing the hats to many Americans in the west after he visited the region for the sake of his health. Like Akubra in Australia, Stetson also produced other styles of hat, but the wide-brimmed big-crowned cowboy hat is the most famous. The popular ten-gallon hat is one of the styles produced; it takes its name from the ten braids (galon in Spanish) around the crown.

A turban is a covering made by winding a long piece of cloth around the head. It is commonly seen in many parts of western and central Asia, and the Indian sub-continent, and also in parts of eastern and northern Africa. It is usually worn by men, and forms part of the traditional dress. In some cases it is also a religious symbol, as in the Sikh religion when it is used by the men to confine their uncut hair and beards. They are also seen in parts of western Africa and the Caribbean where they may be worn by women as well as men.

A wig is a hair-piece made from either human hair, animal hair, or artificial fibres. It may be worn by people who have no hair, perhaps because they have lost it through illness or medical treatments. Wigs have been worn in past times as fashion accessories, when they could be very ornate and elaborate. The British legal system also sees barristers and judges wearing wigs with their robes when appearing in court. Originally seen as a sign of authority, the custom has continued into the twenty-first century.

A boot usually has some form of ankle support, and may be worn for sport such, as football boots or riding boots, or for protection from adverse conditions as in a Wellington boot. A clog is a wooden shoe, traditionally worn in the Netherlands amongst other places. A galosh is a waterproof overshoe. A moccasin is a soft leather shoe from North America. A sandal is a light shoe, with just a sole and straps, suitable for wearing in hot weather. A skate may have a blade on the base for travelling on ice, or a set of wheels for skating on a road or path. A slipper is a soft piece of footwear, usually worn indoors. A sneaker is the name given to a rubber-soled shoe, often used for sporting activities; they are sometimes called tennis-shoes, plimsolls or trainers. None of them are intended to be worn on the head, and I think it would be almost impossible to do so.