Gaper
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A gaper is a stone black man's head on the front of a building in the Netherlands.
It is used to indicate that this building is a pharmacy.
The literal translation of gaper would be yawner; the figure is always displayed with an open mouth. Traditionally, the man depicted is of Moorish origin. The traveling salesmen of herbs and pills, the 'forefathers' of the pharmacies and drugstores now, used to have an assistant who would play the character of an ill man of stage. After taking the pill, the assistant (typically depicted as Moorish) would all of a sudden feel much better and perform a dance.
Later, when pharmacists opened shops instead of travelling through the country, the symbol of the Moorish man (often depicted with a pill on his tongue) would tell the illiterate audience that this was the home of a pharmacist.
Nowadays these symbols are rare, next to collections in museums fewer than 50 can be seen on houses.
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[edit] Beginner in skiing
It is also a term for beginners on a downhill skiing mountain, generally coming from either Texas or California. Many mountains have a "gaper day," where locals to the mountain dress up as beginners.
- [EdwardPultar.com] Edward Pultar won the 1st annual "Gaper of the Year" award held at Solitude ski resort in Utah in November 2006.
