TANGO QUIZZZ !
What is the origin of the word “Papirusa“ or “Papusa” that you find in some tangos ?
It’s coming from the polish word “papierosy” which means cigarette !
Papirusa or Papusa is a word from the Lunfardo, the tango slang that began in the prisons of Buenos Aires to avoid being understood by the guardians.
Papusa means a young beautiful woman.
The polish prostitutes, famous for their beauty, were called this way because they were asking cigarettes – papierosy – to their clients, and it extended to take a more general meaning.
There is a tango of Canaro, named Papirusa
and another one of Miguel Calo, Elegante Papirusa :
And even one song by Carlos Gardel, Che papusa oí :
See you next week for another quiz !
