[P]robably a merkin reference which it is expected that the rest of the world will understand?1997 September 17, Dick Eney, quoting Murky, “Please help with Hogfather [A] slight spoiler”, in alt.fan.pratchett (Usenet), archived from the original on 26 Jan 2026:
it's got very merkin lately... too much time on the international circuit probly?2002 August 27, Sky Rider, “Jelena Dokic on ABC noon news”, in aus.tv (Usenet), archived from the original on 26 Jan 2026:
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It is also very merkin (remember the cheese eating surrender monkeys?). Who in the UK yells, "assholes" at another driver? I can think of a lot of other words to yell but "assholes" isn't very UK-ish.2006 August 5, Wm..., “Lexus's^([sic]) are awesome”, in uk.rec.humour (Usenet), archived from the original on 26 Jan 2026:
Merkin
noun
1
A cannibalistic tribe native to the Cape York Peninsula.
How he envied the Merkin people who could live in such bungalows! Yet for most of the year the bungalows were empty, with doors padlocked and windows shuttered. It was only during the "hill season," the two or three months between the northeast and the southwest monsoons, that the Merkin people left their homes and schools and missions on the plains and came to the hills to escape the heat.1960, Shirley L[ease] Arora, What Then, Raman?, Chicago, I.L.: Follett Publishing Company, page 16:
The big river sang and glittered in the sunlight. It toppled from the mysterious jungle heights of Irukandji territory down huge granite bluffs to hurtle life into the parched inland, tracking westward through the lands of the fierce Merkin tribe.1992, Patricia Shaw, River of the Sun, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 3:
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A tribe known as the Merkins had a word, "talgoro" meaning "human-meat-waiting-to-be-taken"; what we would call a "marked man".2008, Carole A. Travis-Henikoff, Dinner With a Cannibal: The Complete History of Mankind's Oldest Taboo, Santa Monica, C.A.: Santa Monica Press, →ISBN, page 188:
merkin
noun
UK /ˈmɜːkɪn/
Etymology First attested in 1617, probably a variant form of malkin, from Malde + -kin.
1
A woman's pubic wig. Worn for nude stage appearances and by women, originally after shaving their pubic hair to eliminate lice or for other reasons, now often as a fashion item.
... his penis squashed invisible under a flesh-colored leather jockstrap, over which he wears a false cunt and merkin of sable both handcrafted in Berlin by the notorious Mme. Ophir, the mock labia and bright purple clitoris molded of — Madame had been abject, pleading shortage — synthetic rubber and Mipolam, the new polyvinyl chloride...1973, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow:
2
A mop for cleaning cannon.
3
Slang The male counterpart of a beard, a companion to a lesbian to feign her straightness.
Well, I seem to recall Tori and Patrick being seen together, and a reference in People comes to mind, with a photo attached. I'm not for sure that Patrick is completely gay, but he's at least bi according to a person I know with first hand experience. Perhaps we have a dual merkin-beard relationship here, eh?1996 January 10, Colin Wright, “Tori Spelling & Patrick Muldoon on NBC Movie”, in alt.showbiz.gossip (Usenet):
For all you non-'merkins: Most 'merkins are idiots, just like the residents of your country. See, most people are idiots. We just have idiots with a higher average income than you do, so they can afford to be better cretins.1998 January 15, Vasilisha, “Internet Oracularities Digest #973”, in rec.humor.oracle.d (Usenet):
It is, unfortunately, an all-to-common assumption -- sort of like assuming that all posters here are 'merkins. Perhaps it's best to assume that all posters are vertebrates (I was going to type primates, but one of my neutered cats sent a post awhile^([sic]) back).2000 August 2, John Monrad, “One group's thoughts”, in talk.origins (Usenet):
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There is a brand of cheap, nasty aftershave over in Britain caller Que. About two quid a bottle and it's foul. Buy some and fly to Noo Yawk. Then sell it to a Murkin for forty bucks. Tell them it is Calvin Klein's British version.2000 December 29, RampRat, “making money from stupid Murkins”, in alt.nuke.the.british (Usenet):
Well he did say he doesn't follow the sport so it is understandable that he isn't aware of the four year rotation (soon to be changed to 2 years if FIFA (the internatinal football body for you unknowing merkins) have their way). I couldn't tell you sod all about the 'World' Series as I don't follow Baseball.2002 June 23, John of Aix, “Where Did The Merkin Footballers Go?”, in alt.nuke.the.usa (Usenet):