And speaking of broadly used terminology, I found this on Google Books today:

The Militiaman's Manual, and Sword-Play without a Master. Rapier and Broadsword Exercises originally publish in 1858.

By "rapier" he is referring to the small sword.

All,

For what its worth I'm against it! Part of the fun of this whole thing is learning the absolutely whacked out vocabulary!

I'll forgo saying exactly how old I am but I will say I've managed to live what I felt has been a full and interesting life without even once using the term "spadroon". Just think, a couple of weeks ago I could have been walking down the street, minding my own business when, suddenly from out of no where an enraged antique sword collector could have stabbed me with something sharp and before I went to that great bar in the sky I would have only been able to say. "Look, a sword! Now I'd be able to say, "Look, A spadroon! Clearly my life is infinitely richer! Just imagine if it was a Type XII with triple fullers! Oh Joy, Oh Bliss!

There are, of course, the other weapons. They're fun. Someone recently mentioned a melon mace!! I almost fainted, I really did. Men fought each other by hitting each other in the melons with maces? That's just MEAN!

I haven't even dared to try to learn the terminology of armor! Arcana thy name is armor! I'll swear someone put up a picture of something that looked like a fitting for a sewer system and asked if it was a Heaven only know what from Heaven only knows when and the totally amazing part of the whole thing is other people replied! Vambraces, greaves, aventails, hour glass gauntlets? It isn't another vocabulary, its another planet!

Last but not least are the arguments. Who could not love the arguments? They are truly priceless.

"Look, I have a genuine Inuit atlatl!"

"No, that isn't an Inuit atlatl, that is obviously a Siberian atlatl!" "

"It is too Inuit, look at the carving!"

"No, its clearly Siberian, its made of a bear's leg bone and everyone knows only the Siberians made their atlatls from bear's leg bones."

"No, its Inuit, maybe someone didn't tell this Inuit that he couldn't use a bear's leg bone."

" Well, to tell the truth I don't think its an atlatl at all. I think its a gaff."

A gaff? What in the name of all the Saints makes you think its a gaff?"

"The Siberians and Inuit couldn't use atlatls according to Dr. Phineas Nosedrip, it was too cold.

" Too COLD! Dr Nosedrip!..."

And on it goes.

Please, no, don't spoil my fun. No standardized terminology. Let anarchy and chaos reign supreme!


Sincerely,



Ken