What is "barbapedana"

Barbapedana ( Milanese: Barbapedanna) is a word of uncertain origin that refers to a Milanese minstrel and cantastorie ("story singer") that sang in such places as trani (the Milanese traditional osterie, i.e., pubs). While the word "barbapedana" dates back at least to the 17th century, "the Barbapedana" per antonomasia was Enrico Molaschi, active in the late 19th century. Many rhymes from his repertoire have remained in the popular culture of Milan; for example, this is the case for the lines that Barbapedana sang to describe himself (such as Barbapedanna el gh'aveva on gilé / Rott per denanz e strasciaa per dedree; that is, "Barbapedana wore a gilet, broken in front and ripped off in the back") and for the nursery rhyme De piscinin che l'era ("So small he was"), about a man who was so small that he could do such things as "dance on top of a coin" or "make 200 shirts out of a piece of fabric".