Quizmail

[radioman]

Q18. What type of long side-whiskers worn without a beard derives it name from a character in a play the Abraham Lincoln was watching when assassinated?

The play was 'Our American Cousin' but I can't find an answer in the character list. Can anyone help?

[mike1222]

Taken from www.spellingbee.com:

 

In the United States, Our American Cousin by Tom Taylor is often best remembered as the play Abraham Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated. Word lovers may also recall that the show gave us dundrearies, a name for the long, bushy sideburns (called "Piccadilly weepers" in England) that were popular between 1840 and 1870. The term for that particular men's hair fashion comes from the name of Lord Dundreary, a character in the play who sported those elegant whiskers.