<P> Frick and Frack were two Swiss skaters who came to the United States in 1937 and joined the original Ice Follies show as comedy ice skaters . "Frick" was Werner Groebli (April 21, 1915--April 14, 2008), born in Basel . "Frack" was Hansruedi (Hans Rudolf) Mauch, (May 2, 1919--June 4, 1979), also born in Basel . Frick and Frack were known for skating in Alpine Lederhosen and performing eccentric tricks on ice, including the "cantilever spread - eagle", created by Groebli, and Mauch's "rubber legs", twisting and bending his legs while skating in a spread eagle position . Only a few skaters have successfully performed the duo's routines since . </P> <P> Michael Mauch, the son of Hans, once described the origin of their names: "Frick took his name from a small village in Switzerland; Frack is a Swiss - German word for a frock coat, which my father used to wear in the early days of their skating act . They put the words together as a typical Swiss joke ." </P> <P> Frick and Frack found fame with the Follies, a revue promoted by Eddie Shipstad and his brother Roy, which began in 1936 and ran for almost 50 years . They also reached a worldwide audience when they began appearing in films, including the Monogram Pictures production Lady, Let's Dance in 1944 . Their association lasted so long, and they were at one time so well known, that their names became a household term in many languages . </P>

Where did the term frick and frack come from