Would there were words for......

I usually try the cryptic crossword puzzle in the daily paper. Yesterday, there was a clue that I knew was an anagram, that is, the letters in the phrase "at shop" had to be rearranged to get a language spoken in Afghanistan. I didn't know the language so I looked it up - Pashto.

While on-line, I decided to look up another clue - handy cover for ancient fighters - which I thought might be a type of medieval glove - gauntlet didn't fit, so I looked up medieval armour for the hands and found this neat site on - guess what - medieval armour!!!

OK, perhaps you really have to find medieval armour exciting and maybe not everyone does. What I did enjoy, though, were all these words - names of the parts of a suit of armour - that I had never heard before, such as, Sabatons, Greaves, Poleyns, and Cuisses, to name just a few.

Often exploring the terminology used in other fields gives a depth and scope to our own use of language. I have done a lot of work in the area of fibre art, so I occasionally use terms, such as, weft, woof, warp, and selvage, from weaving, in my creative writing. I might say something like the "selvages of our lives" or one needs "the warp of a strong conviction to weave an enduring tapestry."

Other areas that provide a rich vocabulary are Woodworking - with words such as, ogee, kerf, and ferrule. You could also try - Theatre, Pottery, Poker etc... Please post any areas where you have found with an interesting lexicon.

Now, with my newly acquired vocabulary in medieval armour, I can say something like "I put on my Sabatons to walk the battlefield of our relationship."

I wish I had the time to explore more areas of interest. Sadly, there are just not enough hours in the day - or to borrow an analogy from the dominant culture - being a small circuit in the motherboard of time, my life is limited and to date, they have not created an app for eternal life, as we know it, so I make my connections where I can, or where I must and hope that the battery is a duracell :)

The picture is a mortar and pestle. I took it partly because it was available, but also because it suggests the fine art of blending and concocting. In researching for this post I came across some interesting fields which probably made good use of the "grinder" - Alchemy, Sorcery, Witchcraft and the Science of the Apothecary. Maybe another post.

P.S. The answer to the clue about the hand cover was "cestus" an ancient battle glove. Possibly parallel to, but not directly associated with, armour.

Have an amazing day!!