The Straight Dope: In Steve Miller’s “The Joker,” what is “the pompatus of love”?

[Send questions for Cecil Adams: cecil@straightdope.com](mailto:cecil@straightdope.com) FOLLOW CECIL ADAMS ON [TWITTER]( AND [FACEBOOK](! [961025v.gif] THREADSPOTTING: THE BEST OF THE STRAIGHT DOPE MESSAGE BOARD — 03/22/2019 No esprit de l'escalier here! [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #1 10/25/1996 Dear Cecil: What does "pompatus" mean? There's a movie out now called The Pompatus of Love, and of course it contains the Steve Miller song as a theme. I can't find "pompatus" in the dictionary. Any clues? — Cane95, via America Online Cecil replies: Clues? Pfui. We have cracked the freaking case, thanks to some outstanding legwork by Jon Cryer — actor, cowriter, and coproducer of the movie Pompatus of Love — and my new assistant, J.K. Fabian. J.K. has what it takes to make a real impact in this business: pluck, luck, and an outstanding record collection. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE STAFF REPORT — 06/28/2000 Dear Straight Dope: I googled the hell out of this and the best resources I could find (Wikipedia, etc.) could only tell me about the origin of libraries in general, back in ancient times, or the beginnings of specific libraries in America. Call it nerdy curiosity if you want, but I am kind of young (25) and so do not know a time before public lending libraries. They have been all over the place in the different states I have lived. They let you borrow and read all sorts of books — for free! Call me crazy but I started wondering, how did the public libraries as we know them today come about? Some bibliophile President or First Lady in the 1950s decided it was important and got the ball rolling or something? And how do they stay around? Even if the books are donated, the staff are volunteers, and taxes pay for necessities, that still doesn't cover the property and building itself, let alone new books and computer systems. Don't tell me it's all late fees! — dgibson SDStaff Dex replies: Questions like this can make a guy feel really old. I assure you that public libraries as we know them today considerably predate the 1950s. In fact, they date back to the nineteenth century — in other words, almost to the dawn of time. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #2 — 02/20/1987 Dear Cecil: There is a word used to describe the condition where you can't remember the word you want to use — I can't remember it. I think it starts with a. Can you help me? — M.W. Cecil replies: I’m surrounded by comedians. What you claim to be suffering from is aphasia. Strictly speaking, aphasia is an impairment of the language function that is caused by brain damage. The word is used figuratively to describe that “I’ve got it on the tip of my tongue” condition. It’s from a Greek root that means “to speak.” [Click here]( for more. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [View this message as a webpage](. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To advertise on The Straight Dope, contact Rich Hummel at rhummel@suntimes.com [Privacy Policy/Terms of Use]( • [Unsubscribe]( © 2019 Straight Dope, LLC. 30 N Racine Ave. Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60607