Editing Pompatus (section)

==Etymology==
The word is probably a corruption of—or imagined variation on—the word "puppetutes", which was itself a coinage, originated by [[Vernon Green]] at the age of 14. Green included the word "puppetutes" in the lyrics of doo-wop song "The Letter" (1954), as performed by him and [[The Medallions]]. "The Letter" also included another original coinage, "pismotality". Presumably in homage to the Medallions' song, Steve Miller used the [[nonce word]]s "epismetology" and "pompatus" in the lyrics of two of his other songs, "Enter Maurice" and "The Conversation", one of which is, like "The Letter", in spoken-word style.

The appealing oddness of the phrase "the pompatus of love" garnered a lot of attention, and inspired its use by others. For example, as the title of [[The Pompatus of Love|a 1996 film]] starring [[Jon Cryer]].<ref name=dope>Adams, Cecil. [https://www.straightdope.com/21342137/in-steve-miller-s-the-joker-what-is-the-pompatus-of-love 'In Steve Miller's "The Joker," what is "the pompatus of love"?']. ''The Straight Dope'', 1996.</ref>