Word Power

“We shape our tools,” wrote media theorist Marshall Mcluhan, “and then our tools shape us.” This month we highlight some indispensable devices and celebrate the ways in which they’ve shaped our language

1. averruncator—a: manual posthole digger. B: instrument for pruning trees. C: press for crushing grapes.

2. chamois—a: cloth to strain whey in cheese making. B: cast-iron frying pan. C: porous leather used for polishing.

3. cauf—a: large box with holes for keeping fish alive in water. B: trowel for smoothing concrete. C: curved knife for gutting fish.

4. punch—a: heated press for bookbinding. B: rod for driving nails below a surface. C: rotary tool to cut round holes in walls.

5. maul—a: mallet used to strike a gong. B: wedge-shaped hammer. C: small screwdriver.

6. square—a: device for testing right angles. B: fastener in house-frame construction. C: box for brick moulding.

7. douter—a: candle snuffer. B: device that creates texture in plaster finishes. C: needle for stitching leather. 8. hawser—a: handsaw. B: catapult used to feed farm animals. C: rope used to moor or tow a boat.

9. plench—a: tool combining pliers and a wrench. B: chisel to cut grooves. C: shovel for trench digging.

10. burin—a: hand-operated coffee grinder. B: camping stove. C: pointed tool for engraving.

11. trowel—a: flat-bladed hand tool. B: tripod used in land surveying. C: hook on which to hang fowl before cooking.

12. tamis—a: wire brush for cleaning rifles. B: drum-shaped mesh strainer. C: vise for bending wood.

13. rasp—a: excavation tool. B: peeler to remove orange skin. C: large-toothed file.

14. caliper—a: device to hold boards during milling. B: machine for sheep grooming. C: instrument for measuring thickness or width.

15. shears—a: fittings used to regulate water flow. B: cutting tool. C: riding whip with braided lash.

1. averruncator—[b] instrument for pruning trees. The arborist used an averruncator to cut the dogwood branches brushing the shed roof.

2. chamois—[c] porous leather used for polishing. Ashok used the chamois to buff his red Chevy to a streakless shine.

3. cauf—[a] large box with holes for keeping fish alive in water. His cauf full of live carp for bait, Urban felt confident he would catch the catfish he was after.

4. punch—[b] rod for driving nails below a surface. After hammering together the shelves, Giles used a punch to hide the flatheads.

5. maul—[b] wedge-shaped hammer. Aim the blade of your maul in the same direction as any hairline cracks in the log.

6. square—[a] device for testing right angles. According to the square, the corners of the shed were at precisely 90 degrees.

7. douter—[a] candle snuffer. When the power came on, the kids fought over who would use a brass douter to extinguish the candles.

8. hawser—[c] rope used to moor or tow a boat. The hawser held firmly as we hauled the freighter into Boston Harbour. 9. plench—[a] tool combining pliers and a wrench. Knowing she needed to remove several tricky fasteners, the astronaut took a plench with her on her spacewalk.

10. burin—[c] pointed tool for engraving. Pam’s hands cramped up after hours of using the burin to carve her name on a copper sheet.

11. trowel—[a] flat-bladed hand tool. Ciprian drove the trowel into the soil and levered it back and forth to create a slot for the bulb.

12. tamis—[b] drum-shaped mesh strainer. Sandro sifted the almond flour with a tamis.

13. rasp—[c] large-toothed file. Vassili shaped the cabinet’s contours with a rasp, then sanded them to a fine finish.

14. caliper—[c] instrument for measuring thickness or width. Not having faith in the inspector’s report, Eleanor checked the diameter of every pipe with her caliper.

15. shears—[b] cutting tool. Clint rinsed his herbs, then used the shears to chop them into bits right into the recipe.

VOCABULARY RATINGS 7–10: fair

11–12: good

13–15: excellent

13.