the.com/busby
the towering bearskin hat that turns a guardsman into a furry monolith of nope
means A busby is the tall fur hat worn by certain military units, especially British hussars and artillery — and, looser, the towering bearskin caps of ceremonial guardsmen.
from The word's roots are genuinely murky. It surfaces in English in the 18th century, and one popular tale ties it to a London hatter or a fellow named Busby — but there's no firm evidence for that, so it stays a charming guess rather than a fact. Its earlier slang use for a big bushy wig hints that the sound may simply have evoked something large and shaggy, which suits a hat that swallows the head whole.
- animal source
- made from real Canadian black bear fur
- weight
- roughly 1.5 pounds of hat on your skull
- misnomer
- a busby is actually shorter than the bearskin
- sweat trap
- no chin strap function, just sheer balance
- replacement debate
- fake fur versions repeatedly rejected as inferior
matt busby — manchester united manager 1945-1969 who rebuilt the club after the munich air disaster in 1958
busby babes — manchester united's young squad of the 1950s, with 23 players killed in the munich air crash on february 6, 1958